Barring a miracle, Italy will surpass China in the number of coronavirus deaths in just one more day.
On Thursday, Italy saw a record new high in the numbers of infections and deaths reported, adding more than 4,200 new cases for a total of 35,713 infections.
Another 475 people died, bringing Italy's death toll to 2,978.
China, where the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged late last year, has seen 3,241 deaths, most in the hard-hit central province of Hubei.