Coronavirus updates: Barron Trump also tested positive for COVID, Melania says

The number of patients admitted to intensive care units in Italy has jumped by 13.7% within the past 24 hours, as COVID-19 infections surge again in the country where the pandemic first took hold in Europe.

Italy's civil protection agency confirmed 5,901 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, an increase of 1,282 from the previous day. An additional 41 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered, the country's worst single-day death toll from the disease since June 17.

The cumulative totals now stand at 365,467 cases and 36,246 deaths.

Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, introduced strict new nationwide measures on Tuesday after seeing a sharp uptick in cases in recent weeks.

The European country had gradually loosened restrictions during the spring and summer, following a nearly three-month lockdown that helped get its COVID-19 outbreak under control.

ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.

A 45-year-old British man has suffered sudden complete hearing loss while being treated for COVID-19, which doctors say is the first such case in the United Kingdom.

A case study published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal’s BMJ Case Reports said the man, who has asthma but is otherwise "fit and well," was hospitalized several days after developing COVID-19 symptoms. He was subsequently placed on a ventilator and transferred to the intensive care unit, where he remained intubated for 30 days.

The patient received remdesivir, intravenous steroids and plasma exchange to treat his COVID-19 infection, which clinically improved. A week after being taken off the ventilator and transferring out of the ICU, the man noticed ringing in his left ear followed by sudden onset hearing loss. He had no previous history of hearing loss or ear pathology, according to the case study.

Following a week of hearing loss, the patient saw an otolaryngology specialist and was treated with steroids. His hearing partially recovered after completing a seven-day course, according to the case study.

The researchers -- from the University College London and Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital -- noted that there are only a few other reported cases of hearing loss following COVID-19 infection.

"This is the first reported case of sensorineural hearing loss following COVID-19 infection in the U.K.," the researchers wrote. "Given the widespread presence of the virus in the population and the significant morbidity of hearing loss, it is important to investigate this further."

The eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao has tested almost all of its 9 million residents for COVID-19 since launching a citywide testing campaign this week, amid the country's first reported domestic outbreak in months.

The Qingdao Municipal Health Commission said in a statement Wednesday that it had collected over 8.2 million samples for COVID-19 tests and that no new cases have been found among the results returned thus far. The entire city will be tested this week, the commission said.

A total of 12 cases of COVID-19 -- six with symptoms and six without -- have been recorded in Qingdao, since an outbreak linked to the city's Municipal Chest Hospital was discovered over the weekend. As of Wednesday, 532 close contacts have been investigated in the city, all of whom have been quarantined and observed and completed two rounds of testing, according to the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission.

The Chinese mainland, where the coronavirus pandemic began last December, has so far reported 85,611 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,634 deaths, including 13 new cases of local transmission and 14 cases brought from outside the country, according data released Wednesday by China's National Health Commission. The country does not count asymptomatic infections as confirmed cases.

Brigham Young University-Idaho said it is investigating reports of students who have intentionally exposed themselves or others to COVID-19 with the hope of getting the disease and being paid for plasma that contains antibodies.

The private university in Rexburg, Idaho, shared the development in a statement posted on its website Monday, saying it was "deeply troubled" by the accounts.

"The university condemns this behavior and is actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body," the school said. "Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed."

The university warned that it may be forced to transition to a fully-remote instruction model if recent COVID-19 trends in surrounding Madison County and across Idaho continue.

"The contraction and spread of COVID-19 is not a light matter. Reckless disregard for health and safety will inevitably lead to additional illness and loss of life in our community," the school said. "We urge all members of the campus community to act respectfully and responsibly by observing all public health and university protocols and placing the well-being of others above personal benefit or convenience."

The university added that it "stands ready to help" students who are struggling with the physical, emotional and financial strain of the coronavirus pandemic.

"There is never a need to resort to behavior that endangers health or safety in order to make ends meet," the school said.

At least 109 students and 22 employees at Brigham Young University-Idaho have contracted COVID-19, according to the latest data provided by the school.

ABC News' Jon Haworth contributed to this report.