Rome, June 22 (RHC)-- Italy's Health Ministry is asking government advisers to evaluate new World Health Organization recommendations that people with COVID-19 can come out of isolation even before they test negative for the virus, AP news agency reported.

The WHO last week said patients who spent 10 consecutive days in isolation with symptoms can be released if they then are symptom-free for at least three days.  Previously, WHO recommended ending the isolation of infected people only after they tested negative twice on samples taken 24 hours apart.

The change is significant given that many countries are grappling with how to deal with thousands of people who are technically infected with the virus but may not still pose a transmission risk to others.

Italy on Sunday reported 224 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths in the past day, bringing the country's official death toll in the pandemic to 34,634.