Italy is about to cross the 20,000 mark for coronavirus deaths. In the past 24 hours, 619 new deaths have been reported in the "Boot" which remains the most bereaved country in the world.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed nearly 20,000 lives in Italy, with 619 new deaths counted in the past 24 hours, according to official reports released on Saturday evening.

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19,468 dead, the heaviest death toll in the world

With 19,468 deaths, Italy remains officially the most bereaved in the world, ahead of the United States where 18,860 deaths have been recorded, according to the reference count of Johns Hopkins University. In Italy, hospitalizations have been decreasing for ten days and the contagion is clearly slowing down.