ROME, NOV 13: Italy reported 53 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 68 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections edged up to 8,544 from 8,516.

Italy has registered 132,739 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.8 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 3,597 on Saturday, up from 3,525 a day earlier.

There were 39 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 47 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 453 from a previous 445.

Some 540,371 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 498,935, the health ministry said.