Italy reports 264 coronavirus deaths on Sunday, 21,315 new cases

ROME, March 14 (Reuters) - Italy reported 264 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 317 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections was down to 21,315 from 26,062 the day before.

Some 273,966 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 372,944, the health ministry said.

Italy has registered 102,145 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 around 3.2 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 24,518 on Sunday, rising from 24,153 a day earlier.

There were 243 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 270 on Saturday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 3,082 from a previous 2,982.

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 Crispian Balmer)