Italy reports 24 new coronavirus deaths, 2,437 new cases

FILE PHOTO: COVID-19 vaccinations in Rome

ROME (Reuters) - Italy reported 24 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, up from 14 the previous day, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 2,437 from 2,983.

Italy has registered 131,541 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the outbreak in February last year. It has the second highest toll in Europe behind Britain, and the ninth highest in the world.

The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 2,386 on Sunday, up from 2,371 a day earlier.

The number of patients in intensive care with COVID-19 fell to 349 from 352.

Some 381,051 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the space of 24 hours, compared with a previous 472,535, the health ministry said.

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Kevin Liffey)