Italian PM tests positive for COVID-19

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tested positive for COVID-19, the government said in a statement on Monday.

Draghi, 74, who is fully vaccinated, "is asymptomatic," according to the statement.

His schedule has been curtailed, including a planned trip to Angola and the Republic of the Congo scheduled for April 20-21. The statement said Draghi will be replaced by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani for the trip.

Draghi's positive test comes as coronavirus infection rates in Italy are on the rise compared to recent lows from early March, though mortality and hospitalization rates remain low. The most recent data, from Sunday, showed nearly 52,000 new infections nationally, the sixth consecutive day with more than 50,000 new cases.

(CGTN)