ROME: Italy reported 40 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, down from 56 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 838 from 753.

Italy has registered 127,458 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 health ministry said 20 of the deaths reported on Saturday were referred to previous periods after a recalculation in the southern Campania region.

The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 1,771 on Saturday, down from 1,899 a day earlier.

There were 9 new admissions to intensive care units, up from 8 on Friday. The total number of patients in intensive care fell to 298 from 306.

Some 224,493 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 192,541, the health ministry said.