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ROME (Reuters) – Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 269 on Friday, down from 285 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new infections stood at 1,965 against 1,872 on Thursday.
The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 28,236, the agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.
The number of officially confirmed cases, which includes those who have died or recovered, was 207,428, the third highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain.
People registered as currently carrying the illness declined to 100,943 from 101,551 on Thursday.
There were 1,578 people in intensive care on Friday against a previous 1,694, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 78,249 were declared recovered against 75,945 a day earlier.
The agency said 1,399 million people had been tested for the virus against 1,355 million the day before, out of a population of around 60 million.
Reporting by Crispian Balmer
