Italian authorities report 743 new deaths from the novel coronavirus outbreak, a jump after two straight days of declining figures.

After a record 793 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, daily fatalities fell to 650 on Sunday and to 602 on Tuesday, fuelling optimism about the possibility of the health crisis subsiding.

The total death toll now stands at 6,820, up 12.2 per cent, while the total number of infections is 69,176, a daily increase of 8.2 per cent, according to the bulletin from the Civil Protection Agency.

Recoveries are up by 12 per cent to 8,326, while the number of intensive care patients - a closely watched figure given the shortage of hospital beds - has risen by 6 per cent, to 3,396.