Italy reports 24 deaths from coronavirus, 3,674 new cases on Monday

MILAN, Aug.16 (Reuters) – Italy reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday compared to 19 the day before, the health ministry said, as the daily tally of new infections fell from 5,664 to 3,674.

Italy has recorded 128,456 COVID-19-related deaths since the onset of its outbreak in February last year, the second-highest death toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth in the world. The country has so far reported 4.44 million cases.

Hospital patients with COVID-19 – not counting those in intensive care – stood at 3,334 on Monday, up from 3,162 a day earlier.

There were 32 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 29 on Sunday. The total number of intensive care patients has increased to 404 from 384 previously.

Some 74,021 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the last day, up from 160,870 previously, the health ministry said. (Report by Cristina Carlevaro, edited by Sabina Suzzi)