Italy recorded 8,804 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, breaking the all-time daily high for positive tests since the start of the pandemic. There were, however, only 83 deaths linked to COVID-19, far fewer than the daily peaks of over 900 fatalities back in March and April. The country has seen a rising number of intensive care hospitalizations despite strict summer lockdowns, with infections soaring as the seasons changed. Behind China, Italy was one of the world’s earliest epicenters of the virus, bearing the brunt of high mortality and general uncertainty when little was known about treatment and accurate tests were in short supply.