ROME, MAR 26: Italy reported 73,357 COVID-19 related cases on Saturday, against 75,616 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths fell to 118 from 146.

Italy has registered 158,700 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth highest in the world. The country has reported over 14.3 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 9,023 on Saturday, up from 8,994 a day earlier. There were 45 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 49 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients was 452, from 447 the day before.

Some 504,185 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 503,973, the health ministry said.