Worldwide virus death toll up to 177,822

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rises to 177,822, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT.

More than 2,571,880 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.

Of these cases, at least 583,000 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only the most serious cases.

In the United States, now the worst-hit country, the death toll stood at 45,075 with 825,306 infections. At least 75,673 patients have recovered.

Italy is the next most affected country with 24,648 deaths and 183,957 confirmed infections.

It is followed by Spain with 21,717 fatalities and 208,389 confirmed infections, France with 20,796 deaths and 158,050 infections and Britain with 17,337 deaths and 129,044 cases.

China — excluding Hong Kong and Macau — has to date declared 4,632 deaths and 82,788 cases.

Europe has listed 1,248,469 cases and 110,522 deaths to date; the US and Canada together have 863,728 cases with 46,985 deaths; Asia 176,914 cases with 7,372 deaths; the Middle East 134,870 cases with 5,886 deaths; Latin America and the Caribbean 115,347 cases with 5,767 deaths; Africa 24,611 cases with 1,195 deaths; and Oceania 7,942 cases with 95 deaths.

— AFP