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ROME, May 8-- Italy on Friday posted a decrease in COVID-19 intensive care cases and hospitalizations as the death toll pushed past the 30,000 mark, according to the latest numbers released by the country's Civil Protection Department. The nationwide total of active infections fell by 1,663 cases to 87,961, down from a total of 89,624 infections on Thursday. Of those who tested positive for the new coronavirus, 1,168 are in intensive care (down by 143 patients compared with Thursday's) and 14,636 are hospitalized with symptoms (down by 538 patients over the past 24 hours). The rest -- 72,157 cases, or 82 percent of those who tested positive -- are quarantined at home as they are asymptomatic or have very light symptoms. There were also 2,747 additional recoveries, bringing that total to 99,023. The death toll on Friday was 243, taking the total to 30,201 since the outbreak was first recorded in Italy's northern Lombardy region on Feb. 21. The total number of COVID-19 infections, fatalities, and recoveries since the pandemic began has risen to 217,185 cases over the past 24 hours, from 215,858 on Thursday. DECREASING CURVE During a televised press conference earlier in the day, National Institute of Health (ISS) President Silvio Brusaferro said "the epidemiological curve is decreasing" and "we are moving towards fewer and fewer cases" across all of Italy's 20 regions. | 
