Italy reports 420 new coronavirus deaths, 8,561 cases

Italy reported 420 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, up from 299 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 8,561 from 11,629.

However, the number of swab tests also fell, as often happens over the weekend, totalling just 143,116 against a previous 216,211.

Italy has now registered 85,881 deaths linked to COVID-19 since last February, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the sixth-highest in the world. The country has reported 2.475 million cases.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 21,424 on Monday, compared with 21,309 a day earlier.

There were 150 new admissions to intensive care units, against 120 the day before. The total number of intensive care patients stood at 2,421 up from 2,400 on Sunday.

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.