Italy builds new ICU units for virus patients

The region of Lombardy in Italy, the nation's hardest-hit by the new coronavirus, is rushing to establish new intensive care units due to a continuously growing number of patients.

Attilio Fontana, the regional governor, decided to use Milan's expo space to build 400 new ICU rooms, with the help of Guido Bertolaso, the former head of the Italian Civil Protection.

Italy is the hardest-hit European country with nearly 28,000 cases and 2,158 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Worldwide, more than 189,000 people have been infected and more than 7,300 have died. Over 80,000 have recovered, most of them in China.