PARIS: The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has risen to 5,043, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at 1100 GMT on Friday.
A total of 3,176 people have died in mainland China, followed by 1,016 in Italy, and 514 in Iran - the three countries with the highest number of deaths.
Since COVID-19 was first detected in December, more than 134,300 people have been infected in 121 countries and territories.
Death toll exceeds 500 in Iran
The death toll due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran has risen to 514, authorities said on Friday, while the number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 11,364, official IRNA news agency reported.
Kianush Jahanpur, Head of Public Relations and Information Centre of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said that 11,364 people in the country have contracted the COVID-19, Xinhua reported, citing IRNA.
A total of 3,529 people have recovered, Jahanpur was quoted as saying.
Swiss cases soar 24 per cent
Switzerland on Friday reported a 24% jump in confirmed cases to 1,009, with seven deaths so far. The southern canton of Ticino, which borders Italy and has a 68,000-strong Italian labor force commuting across the border every day, said schools would be closed from Monday after it declared a state of emergency.
South Korea recoveries more than new cases for the first time
South Korea reported more recoveries from the coronavirus than new infections on Friday for the first time since its outbreak emerged in January, as a downward trend in daily cases raised hopes that Asia's biggest epidemic outside China may be slowing.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recorded 110 new coronavirus cases on Friday compared with 114 a day earlier, taking the national tally to 7,979. The death toll rose by five to 72 as of late Friday.
In contrast, 177 patients were released from hospitals where they had been isolated for treatment, the KCDC said.
This marks the first time that the daily number of recovered people exceeded that of new infections since South Korea's first patient was confirmed on Jan. 20.
The latest figures are in line with a downward trend in new cases which has raised hopes that the outbreak may be easing in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
