The number of new coronavirus cases continued on a downward trend in Italy after its first day in which more people recovered from the disease than were infected.
The number of new coronavirus cases dropped by 851 cases Thursday. 464 people were confirmed to have died of the Chinese virus, while 3,033 people were confirmed to have recovered from the disease.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus has also declined by 934, with 22,871 in hospitals across the country, 2,267 of them in intensive care units, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports.
The number of Italians infected with the disease and quarantined in their own homes, however, increased by 200 to 81,710.
The encouraging data could set the stage for the Italian government’s “phase two” strategy which should see it begin slowly opening up the country and allowing more shops to open under certain conditions.