BREAKING: Coronavirus death toll in Italy rises to 8,165

The coronavirus death toll has today risen by 662 to 8,165 with more than 6,100 new cases recorded.

The global has now surpassed half a million.

The total number of confirmed cases in Italy now stands at 80,539, almost as many as China, where the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in December.

The nation’s Civil Protection Agency reported 662 deaths today, bringing the country’s death toll to 8,165 – the highest in the world.

It comes after Italy’s death toll jumped by 683 to 7,503 on Wednesday, a decline in the daily tally of fatalities following a spike a day earlier.