Italy reported 18 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 19 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 6,619 from 6,171.

Italy has registered 128,047 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.34 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 1,812 on Friday, up from 1,730 a day earlier.

There were 20 new admissions to intensive care units, same as on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 201 from a previous 194.

Some 247,486 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 224,790, the health ministry said.