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Italy reported 253 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 308 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 20,499 from 19,886 the day before.

A week ago, the country recorded 15,470 new infections. Overall, Italy has reported 2.9 million cases to date.

Some 325,404 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with 443,704 previously, the ministry said.

Italy has registered 97,227 deaths from the virus since the pandemic started, the second-highest toll in Europe after the UK and the seventh-highest in the world.

Gondolas are seen by the Grand Canal during an exceptionally low tide in the lagoon city of Venice, Italy, on 26 February, 2021.


Gondolas are seen by the Grand Canal during an exceptionally low tide in the lagoon city of Venice, Italy, on 26 February, 2021. Photograph: Manuel Silvestri/Reuters

Patients in hospital with Covid-19, excluding those in intensive care, stood at 18,292 on Friday, increasing from 18,257 a day earlier.

There were 188 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 178 on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients rose to 2,194 from a previous 2,168.

When Italy’s second wave of the epidemic was accelerating quickly 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, Reuters reports.

The northern region of Emilia-Romagna saw a new surge in infections, with 2,575 new cases detected over 24 hours, with 40,148 swabs. The average age of those infected is 42.7 years.

The last time cases rose this sharply was on 1 January, La Repubblica reports, when there was a peak of new positives of 2,629. A similar surge in infections previously only occured in November.