Italy reports 46 coronavirus deaths on Sunday, 9,709 new cases

ROME, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Italy reported 46 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against 49 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 9,709 from 11,555.

Italy has registered 133,177 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.9 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 - not including those in intensive care - stood at 4,345 on Sunday, up from 4,250 a day earlier.

There were 35 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 50 on Saturday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 520 from a previous 512.

Some 497,109 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 574,812, the health ministry said. (Reporting by Gavin Jones)