Italy recorded almost 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday in the worst one-day toll anywhere around the world since the pandemic began, as experts said the country's epidemic could be nearing its peak, AFP reports.

Five weeks after the virus took root in Italy, the country's recorded cases rose to nearly 86,500 — more than the United States, or China — where the flu-like disease emerged in December.

The death toll surged by 969 victims to 9,134, the Civil Protection Agency said, though that included 50 victims who had been missing from the previous day's count.

“I want to be clear on one point. We have not peaked yet,” the institute's head, Silvio Brusaferro said. “There are signs of a slowdown, which makes us believe that we are close, we could peak in the next few days.”