Rome, Mar 26 (IANS): Due to the latest anti-Covid measures, Italy has witnessed a drop in the number of new cases, while authorities were at work to speed up vaccinations in the next few weeks, according to health experts.

"After four consecutive weeks, the weekly trend in new cases has been reversed," Xinhua news agency quoted the experts from GIMBE Foundation, an independent health think-tank, as saying on Thursday.

On the basis of official data by the Health Ministry, the foundation estimated a 4.8 per cent drop in the number of new cases between March 17-23 compared to that in the previous week.

"Thanks to the restrictions (implemented) during the third Covid-19 wave, the first signs of improvement can be seen," the GIMBE stated in its monitoring report.

However, it warned alarming levels of occupancy of beds in intensive care units were still being registered in 12 out of Italy's 20 regions.

The latest round of nationwide measures was implemented since March 6. They were further tightened from March 15.

They included a national ban on inter-regional travels but for proven work, health, or emergency reasons, along with wide restrictions on social life and non-essential business activities.

The country's overall coronavirus caseload and death toll currently stood at 3,464,543 and 106,799, respectively.

Also on Thursday, the government rolled out new guidelines for the national vaccination plan.

These would include keeping vaccination points open 12 hours per day and administering one vaccine dose every 10 minutes.

So far, over 8.5 million vaccines have been administered out of some 10 million doses received, and more than 2.7 million people have completed both doses.