ROME, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Italy's new COVID-19 cases surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday for the second consecutive day as the Omicron BA.5 subvariant continued to spread, data from the health ministry showed.

The ministry reported 107,786 new infections Wednesday, down from 132,274 reported on Tuesday and adding up to nearly 1.15 million active cases.

On Tuesday, the country's new daily infections surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time since early February.

According to the latest data, the coronavirus transmission rate in Italy remains above 1.0, indicating that COVID-19 is in a phase of expansion.

The country conducted fewer COVID-19 tests on Wednesday -- some 380,000 compared to nearly 465,000 a day earlier -- but the positivity rate, or the percentage of tests producing a positive result, held steady at 28.4 percent.

The number of patients in intensive care units remained stable, but overall hospitalizations reached 8,220, an increase of 217 from Tuesday's figure.

The country reported 72 new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday. The daily death toll has remained below 100 since late May, though Tuesday's total of 94 was the highest in more than a month. Enditem

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