"I will soon appoint an authorized commissioner to strengthen the response of medical institutions to this medical emergency. It will be Domenico Arcuri," Conte said.
Arcuri, 49, has held senior positions in various business structures during his career and established himself as an effective manager. Since 2007, he has served as CEO of Invitalia, the country's national agency for inward investment and economic development.
The appointment comes a day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided to upgrade the COVID-19 to a pandemic.
Italy is currently facing the worst COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, with over 12,000 confirmed cases of the disease. Of those, 827 people have died and 1,045 have recovered.
