Italy reports 462 coronavirus deaths on Friday, 22,211 new cases

People walk along Via del Corso, as Italy goes back to a complete lockdown during Christmas season as part of efforts put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rome, Italy, December 24, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ROME — Italy reported 462 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 555 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 22,211 from 23,477.

There were 157,524 swab tests carried out in the past day, the ministry said, down from a previous 186,004.

Italy has seen an official total of 74,621 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the highest toll in Europe and the fifth highest in the world.

A report on Wednesday by national statistics bureau ISTAT which looked at deaths from all causes since the start of the pandemic suggested the number of coronavirus victims in Italy is probably higher than indicated by official data.

Italy has also reported 2.129 million cases to date, the health ministry said.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 stood at 22,822 on Friday, down by 329 on the day before. There were 145 admissions to intensive care units, compared with 202 on Thursday.

The current number of intensive care patients fell by two to 2,553, reflecting those who died or were discharged after recovery.

When Italy’s second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast 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.

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