The Italian Health Ministry said that Italy had recorded 42,249 new COVID-19 cases and 115 coronavirus-linked deaths in the last 24-hour period.
That was down from the 56,015 new cases and 158 deaths reported on Tuesday.
The ministry said 294,611 COVID tests had been done in Italy in the last 24 hours, and the positivity rate was 14.3%, compared to 371,221 tests and a positivity rate of 15% on Tuesday.
It said 338 COVID patients were in intensive care in Italy, 20 fewer than Tuesday.
It said 8,412 coronavirus sufferers were in ordinary hospital-ward beds, a drop of 167.
As of May 9, 2022, approximately 48.6 million people in Italy have completed the regular vaccination cycle against COVID-19, corresponding to 90 percent of the total population over 12 years of age.
In the age group 80 years and older, the most vulnerable to the virus, this figure reached almost 95.5 percent. A vaccine for kids under 12 years of age became available only in December 2021.
In order to build better protection against the virus over time, the Italian authorities started administering a third vaccine dose in autumn 2021. So far, roughly seven out of 10 Italians have received a booster shot.
