Total number of coronavirus cases worldwide crosses 1,50,000

The number of novel coronavirus cases globally stood at 151,760 with 5,764 deaths, across 137 countries and territories at 1700 GMT Saturday, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources.

Between Friday's 1700 GMT tally and Saturday's latest figures there were 417 more deaths reported and 11,037 new cases.

The country that saw the biggest increases over the last 24 hours was Italy, which recorded 175 new deaths, while Iran had 97 and Spain 63.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP offices from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), take into account the fact that criteria for counting victims and coronavirus screening practices vary from country to country.

China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- where the epidemic was declared in late December, has to date declared 80,824 cases, for 3,189 deaths, with 65,541 people recovered. The country declared 11 new cases and 13 new fatalities Friday to Saturday.

Outside China, by Saturday there had been 2,575 deaths -- 404 since Friday -- for 70,943 cases, 11,026 of them new.

The worst-hit nation after China is Italy with 1,441 deaths for 21,157 cases, Iran with 611 fatalities (12,729 cases), Spain, with 183 deaths for 5,753 cases and France, with 79 deaths and 3,661 cases.

Since Friday, Ecuador and Denmark have announced their first deaths while Kosovo, Mauritania, Uruguay, Suriname, Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, Namibia, eSwatini, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea have declared their first cases.

By 1700 GMT Saturday, Asia had listed 91,480 cases and 3,303 deaths, Europe 42,828 cases and 1,771 deaths, the Middle East 13,950 cases for 623 deaths, the United States and Canada 2,600 cases for 52 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 418 cases and five deaths, Africa 247 cases and seven deaths, and Oceania 244 cases and three deaths.