Italy extends partial lockdown as Naples hospitals struggle

NAPLES, Italy (AP) — The regions of Italy that include the cities of Naples and Florence were declared coronavirus red zones Friday, the latest signals of the dire condition of Italian hospitals struggling with a surge of new admissions.

The director of the National Health Institute, Gianni Rezza, said the stricter measures were justified by a “worrisome increase in hospitalizations” as Italy's rate of new confirmed cases reached 650 per 100,000 people. Confirmed cases hit a daily pandemic high of nearly 41,000 and 550 people died of the virus in 24 hours, bringing the country's known death toll to 44,139. Italy has reported a total of more than 1.1. million virus cases.

Naples hospitals made headlines this week when a video that went viral showed an elderly man lying dead on the floor of an emergency room bathroom. The video, shot with a smartphone inside Antonio Cardarelli Hospital also shows what appears to be an overcrowded emergency area with patients lying on stretchers close together and left without medical assistance.

Unlike in wealthier northern regions, the medical system in southern Italy is more fragile. Many southerners have traditionally traveled to the north for non-routine medical care. The system in Campania, the region where Naples is located, emerged last December from a decade under government control aimed at wiping out waste and improving care. Union representatives note that 16,000 health care workers were cut in the 10-year period.

“The difficult situation is understandable. Unfortunately, staff numbers are below the needs of this area,’’ said CGIL union representative Alfredo Garzi. “They try to cope with what they have available.”

The south of Italy largely was spared during the deadly virus epidemic that exploded in the country's north during March and April. However, the...