Italy reports 65 coronavirus deaths on Monday, 280 new cases

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 65 on Monday against 53 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose to 280 from 197 on Sunday.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 33,964, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the United States, Brazil and Britain.

The number of confirmed cases amounts to 235,278, the seventh highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India.

People registered as currently carrying the illness fell to 34,730 from 35,262 the day before.

The northern region of Lombardy, where the outbreak was first identified, remains by far the worst affected of Italy's 20 regions, accounting for 194 of the 280 new cases reported on Monday.

There were 283 people in intensive care on Monday, down from 287 on Sunday, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 166,584 were declared recovered against 165,837 a day earlier.

The agency said some 2.643 million people had been tested for the virus as of Monday against 2.627 million on Sunday, out of a population of around 60 million.