Italy's coronavirus death toll passes 1,000 as chief medical officer dies after being infected with Covid-19

Italy's coronavirus death toll has hit 1,000 as a doctor who had been handling the virus outbreak in northern Italy died after testing positive.

The president of the Medical Guild of Varese, Roberto Stella, 67, died this week of respiratory failure after contracting COVID-19.

He had been practising medicine at an outpatient clinic in Busto Arsizio, north-west of Milan, and Italian reports say he and a colleague were infected at the weekend.

Varese is in the Lombardy region, which has been at the centre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak.

The country, which has imposed tough restrictions in an effort to fight the spread of coronavirus, has now reported it has hit the grim milestone of 1,000 deaths from the disease.

Positive cases continued their upward trend on Thursday, registering 15,113 confirmed cases as the death toll hit 1,016.

More than half of those who are in intensive care in Italy are located in hard-hit Lombardy province, which on Thursday reported 605 ICU patients in a region with only 610 ICU beds.

Lombardy's top healthcare official Giulio Gallera said that at the request of the hospitals, the region had simplified the bureaucracy needed to process death certificates and bury the dead.

Meanwhile, new restrictions on a country-wide lockdown have been imposed including ordering bars, restaurants and beauty parlors to close.

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said all shops would be shuttered except supermarkets, food stores and chemists, and companies must close all non-essential departments.The president of the Medical Guild of Varese