The new coronavirus has directly caused the death of nine out of 10 of Italian COVID-19 victims, a study released said.

Since discovering its first infections in February, Italy has reported some 35,000 COVID-19 fatalities.

The study published by the Superior Health Institute and National Statistics Institute ISTAT showed the coronavirus was the direct cause of death for 89 percent of the 4,942 victims in the sample.

A patient is carried on a stretcher from a nursing home to a hospital, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Rome, Italy, May 2, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

The remaining 11 percent had coronavirus but died as a direct result of other medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer and dementia.

However, the virus might have aggravated their condition and accelerated their death.

The study was based on deaths reported at the end of May, when Italy had already loosened its rigid lockdown rules.