MILAN -Italy reported 108,304 COVID-19 related cases on Friday, less than half from a day earlier, the health ministry said, reflecting fewer tests being carried out on a national holiday.
The number of deaths rose to 223 from 198.
On Thursday, Italy’s coronavirus cases had reached a new daily record of 219,441.
Italy has registered 138,697 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 7.08 million cases to date.
There were 120 new admissions to intensive care units, versus 177 on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 1,499 from a previous 1,467.
Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 14,591 on Friday, up from 13,827 a day earlier.
Only 492,172 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the last day, compared with a previous 1.14 million, the health ministry said.
(Reporting by Valentina Za; editing by Claudia Cristoferi)
