Slideshow ( 2 images )

MILAN (Reuters) - Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 260 on Sunday, the smallest daily tally since March 14, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The number of new infections was the lowest since April 20 at 2,324 from 2,357 on Saturday.

Sunday’s death toll was sharply down from 415 on Saturday, to mark the third daily fall in succession.

The total of fatalities since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 26,644, the agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.

The number of confirmed cases was 197,675, the third highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain.

People registered as currently carrying the illness rose to 106,103 from 105,847 on Saturday.

There were 2,009 people in intensive care on Sunday against 2,102 on Saturday, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 64,928 were declared recovered against 63,120 a day earlier.

The agency said 1.187 million people had been tested for the virus against 1.148 million the day before, out of a population of around 60 million.