Italy reported 308 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday against 318 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 19,886 from 16,424 the day before. Some 443,704 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with 340,247 previously, the ministry said. Italy has registered 96,974 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 2.9 million cases to date. Patients in hospital with COVID-19, excluding those in intensive care, stood at 18,257 on Thursday, slightly up from 18,217 a day earlier. There were 178 new admissions to intensive care units, in line with 178 on Wednesday. The total number of intensive care patients edged up to 2,168 from a previous 2,157. 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 about 100 per day.
