Italy coronavirus death rate slows but studies suggest true tally higher

A woman sitting in a car is swabbed by a health worker wearing a protective gear as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Rome, Italy, April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's daily death toll from coronavirus on Wednesday was the lowest for six days, authorities said, but the overall number of new infections grew and the government extended a national lockdown until at least the middle of April.

The Civil Protection Agency said 727 people had died over the last 24 hours, down from 837 the day before, bringing total fatalities from the world's deadliest outbreak of the viral pandemic to 13,155.