ROME, OCT 16: Italy reported 14 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, down from 42 the previous day, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 2,983 from 2,732 .

Italy has registered 131,517 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the outbreak in February last year. It has the second highest toll in Europe behind Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 4.72 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 2,371 on Saturday, down from 2,445 a day earlier.

There were 12 new admissions to intensive care units, decreasing from 20 on Friday. The total number of patients in intensive care with COVID-19 fell to 352 from a previous 357.

Some 472,535 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 506,043, the health ministry said.