Italy reports 15 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, 5,057 new cases

Italy reported 15 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday against 21 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections increased to 5,057 from 4,259 .

Italy has registered 127,920 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 4.3 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 1,234 on Thursday, up from 1,196 a day earlier.

There were 12 new admissions to intensive care units against nine on Wednesday. The total number of intensive care patients was unchanged at 158.

Some 219,778 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 235,097, the health ministry said.