Italy reports 684 COVID-19 deaths, 20,709 new cases, - health ministry

Italy reported 684 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, down from 785 on Tuesday, and 20,709 new infections, compared with 19,350 the day before, the health ministry said.

The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has seen 57,045 COVID-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain's. It has also registered 1.642 million cases to date.

There were 207,143 swabs carried out in the past day, up from a previous 182,100.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 stood at 32,454 on Wednesday, down 357 on the day before. The number in intensive care decreased by 47 and now stands at 3,616.

When Italy's second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by around 1,000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by about 100 per day.