COVID-19 cases pass 5.25 million worldwide: AFP tally

An aerial view shows painted circles in the grass to encourage people to social distance at Washington Square Park in San Francisco, California, on May 22, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Credit: AFP Photo

The number of cases of coronavirus recorded worldwide has passed 5.25 million, more than two thirds of them in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally at 1650 GMT Saturday.

There are now 5,250,658 cases officially recorded, with 339,172 deaths attributed to the virus. Europe is the hardest-hit continent, with 2,003,510 cases and 173,186 deaths, while the United States is the worst-hit country, with 1,604,879 cases and 96,125 deaths.

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 symptomatic or the most serious cases.

Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks