Italy reported 356 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday against 274 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 13,314 from 9,630 the day before.
Some 303,850 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with 170,672 previously, the ministry said.
Italy has registered 96,348 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak began in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 2.8 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with COVID-19, excluding those in intensive care, stood at 18,295 on Tuesday, rising from 18,155 a day earlier .
There were 197 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 162 on Monday. The total number of intensive care patients rose slightly to 2,146 from a previous 2,118.
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.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Sabina Suzzi)
