Doctor Says Berlusconi in ‘Delicate’ Phase of COVID-19 Treatment

FILE PHOTO: Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party Silvio Berlusconi attends a rally ahead of a regional election in Emilia-Romagna, in Ravenna, Italy, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo
FILE PHOTO: Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party Silvio Berlusconi attends a rally ahead of a regional election in Emilia-Romagna, in Ravenna, Italy, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo
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Doctor Says Berlusconi in ‘Delicate’ Phase of COVID-19 Treatment

FILE PHOTO: Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party Silvio Berlusconi attends a rally ahead of a regional election in Emilia-Romagna, in Ravenna, Italy, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo
FILE PHOTO: Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party Silvio Berlusconi attends a rally ahead of a regional election in Emilia-Romagna, in Ravenna, Italy, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo

Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is responding “optimally” to COVID-19 treatment but is the most vulnerable type of patient and is in “the most delicate phase” of his infection, his personal doctor said Sunday.

Dr. Alberto Zangrillo repeated that he nevertheless remained “cautiously optimistic” about Berlusconi’s recovery. Berlusconi turns 84 in a few weeks and has had a history of heart problems that required a pacemaker several years ago.

The three-time premier checked into the San Raffaele hospital in Milan early Friday after testing positive for the virus earlier in the week. At the time, he had the early stages of a lung infection. Earlier in the week he said he tested positive but showed no symptoms. Then he said he had a fever and felt achy but still vowed to campaign for his Forza Italia party in upcoming regional elections.

“The patient is responding optimally to treatment," Zangrillo told reporters outside the hospital. “This doesn’t mean we can claim victory because, as you know, he belongs to the most fragile category,” given his age, AP quoted him as saying.

Official data shows that men aged 80-87 have the highest COVID-19 death rate among all cases in Italy, at 47%.

Zangrillo suggested Berlusconi wouldn't be released anytime soon, adding that fighting coronavirus “requires adequate treatment and takes its time.”

Berlusconi spent some of his summer vacation at his seaside villa on Sardinia’s Emerald Coast. Many of Italy’s recent cases of COVID-19 have been linked to clusters in people who vacationed in Sardinia.



Dutch Tighten Controls on Military and Dual Use Exports to Israel

Containers in the Port of Rotterdam are seen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Containers in the Port of Rotterdam are seen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Dutch Tighten Controls on Military and Dual Use Exports to Israel

Containers in the Port of Rotterdam are seen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Containers in the Port of Rotterdam are seen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

The Dutch government said on Monday it had tightened export controls for all military and 'dual use' goods destined for Israel.

All direct exports and the transit of these goods to Israel will be checked to see if they comply with European regulations, and will no longer be covered by general export licences, the government said in a letter to parliament.

"This is desirable considering the security situation in Israel, the Palestinian territories and the wider region," foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp and trade minister Reinette Klever wrote, Reuters reported.

"Exporters will still be able to request permits, that will then be checked against European regulations."

The government said no military goods for Israel had been exported from the Netherlands under a general permit since Israel started its war in Gaza following the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

It said that the general licence for the export of "low risk information security goods", such as routers for network security, was frequently used for export to Israel.

It estimated that between 50 and 100 permits for the export of those goods would now have to be requested on an individual basis.

A Dutch court last year ordered the government to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they were being used to violate international law during the war in Gaza.