MILAN - Italy reported 347 coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday against 343 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 20,884 from 17,083 the day before.

Some 358,884 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 335,983, the health ministry said.

Italy has registered 98,635 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 2.98 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 19,763 on Wednesday, up from 19,570 a day earlier.

There were 222 new admissions to intensive care units, in line with Tuesday's. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 2,411 from a previous 2,327.

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.