ROME — Italy has registered 379 new cases of COVID-19, most in Lombardy, the northern region where the outbreak first exploded in Europe.

The daily update provided by the Health Ministry Thursday raised Italy’s overall total of known coronavirus infections to 236,142. Authorities say the country likely had far more cases, but that they went undetected since many with mild symptoms weren’t tested for COVID-19.

There were 53 deaths registered in the last 24 hours, increasing the overall known death toll to 34,167.

Many restrictions on daily activities were lifted in recent weeks, as authorities concluded that the pressure on the nation’s hospital system eased with a steady drop in the number of those needing intensive care.

While some two months ago more than 4,000 ICU beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients on any one day, the number on Thursday stood at 236.