Silvio Berlusconi leaves hospital after coronavirus treatment

The former Italian prime minister will now enter quarantine at his villa in Arcore, northern Italy.

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was released from Milan's San Raffaele hospital on Monday after more than a week of treatment for COVID-19, local media reported.

"It has been the most dangerous test of my life," Berlusconi told reporters after leaving the hospital, adding that he "dodged a bullet once again."

He also warned against the risks of contagion and called for responsible behaviours to stop the coronavirus spread.

Berlusconi, the 83-year-old media tycoon who headed the Italian government for nearly a decade and is now an MEP, was admitted to hospital on September 3 after testing positive for coronavirus. He was diagnosed with pneumonia affecting both lungs.

The former prime minister and leader of center right Forza Italia will now quarantine in his villa in Arcore, northern Italy, until he tests negative, local media say.

From his hospital bed, Berlusconi campaigned for Forza Italia's candidates in the upcoming regional elections on 20-21 September and called on the public to respect coronavirus restrictions and wear face masks.

According to Berlusconi's personal doctor Alberto Zangrillo — who is known to the Italian public for saying that the pandemic was over  — Berlusconi's recovery proves that the virus has lost virulence. If Berlusconi had been infected in March, he would have died, Zangrillo speculated last week on Italian TV.