Italy reports 521 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, 14,078 new cases

Italy reported 521 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday, against 524 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 14,078 from 13,571.

Some 267,567 tests were carried out in the past day, against a previous 279,762.

Italy has registered 84,202 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light last February, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world. The country has also reported 2.428 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 22,045 on Thursday, down by 424 from a day earlier.

There were 155 new admissions to intensive care units, against 152 the day before. The total number of intensive care patients fell by 43 to 2,418.

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.