A COVID-19 rapid test board is seen outside a pharmacy in Rome, Italy, Dec. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)
The high number in Italy is part of a wider trend across Europe, fueled mostly by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.
Italy ranks third in the total number of COVID-19 infections in the European Union, behind only France and Germany.
ROME, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Italy reported 126,888 new cases of coronavirus Thursday, the first time the country has recorded more than 100,000 cases in one day.
A previous record had been set on Wednesday, with 98,030 cases. However, Thursday's increase was the largest in one day during the two years of the pandemic.
Medical staff work in a COVID-19 intensive care unit at a hospital in Bologna, Italy, on Dec. 24, 2021. (Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua)
Thursday's figure represents more than 2 percent of a total of nearly 6 million cases recorded since the start of the pandemic.
The high number in Italy is part of a wider trend across Europe, fueled mostly by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of the virus.
Italy ranks third in the total number of COVID-19 infections in the European Union, behind only France and Germany.
The increases are coming despite a broadly successful vaccination rollout. As of Thursday, nearly 86 percent of the population over the age of 12 had been fully vaccinated in the country.
A COVID-19 notice board is seen at Galleria Alberto Sordi in Rome, Italy, Dec. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni) ■
