ROME (Reuters) – Italy reported 507 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, against 616 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 15,774 from 14,242.
Some 175,429 swab tests were carried out in the past day, against a previous 141,641.
Italy has registered 80,326 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world. The country has also reported 2.319 million cases to date, the health ministry said.
Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 23,525 on Wednesday, down 187 from a day earlier.
There were 165 new admissions to intensive care units, against 196 the day before. The total number of intensive care patients fell by 57 to 2,579.
When Italy’s second wave of the epidemic was accelerating quickly in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by about 1,000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by around 100 per day.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer, editing by Gavin Jones)
