Italian Medic Strangled by Boyfriend Who Thought She Gave Him Coronavirus: Reports

An Italian medic was strangled to death by her boyfriend because he thought she gave him coronavirus, police have claimed.

Lorena Quaranta, 27, who was helping the country's devastating fight against the killer virus, died at the hands of Antonio De Pace, local media reported.

Cops said he confessed to the murder because he believed he had contracted COVID-19 from her.

Both De Pace and his girlfriend's body were tested for the virus -- and came back negative.

When police found him, De Pace had already attempted to take his own life by slitting his wrists. He was rushed to the already-beleaguered hospital, where his late girlfriend's colleagues managed to save his life.

The University of Messina, where Quaranta was studying to become a doctor, said it hoped to bestow a posthumous degree.

Italy is one of the hardest hit countries in the world by COVID-19. Reported cases have passed 110,000, while 13,155 have died; that's 218 deaths per million population, the highest rate of coronavirus fatalities in the world.

Just days before her tragic death, the medical student had posted on Facebook calling on friends to help in the crippling battle against the virus.

"Now more than ever we need to demonstrate responsibility and love for life. You must show respect for yourselves, your families and the country," she wrote.

"You must think and remember those that dedicate their lives daily to looking after our sick."

"Let's stick together everyone staying at home. Let's avoid the next one falling sick is a loved one or ourselves."

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