PARIS: The new coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 45,719 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to a tally by AFP from official sources on Wednesday at 1900 GMT.
More than 905,580 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 187 countries and territories since the start of the epidemic.
The number of detected cases, however, only reflects a fraction of the actual number of infections, with many countries now testing only those cases requiring hospital care.
Since a tally made on Tuesday, 4,708 new deaths and 77,241 new cases have been recorded worldwide.
The countries that recorded the most new deaths in 24 hours were the United States with 1,036 fatalities, Spain with 864 deaths and Italy with 727.
Italy, which recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus at the end of February, has so far reported 13,155 deaths and 110,574 cases.
After Italy, the most affected countries are Spain with 9,053 deaths and 102,136 cases, the United States with 4,476 deaths and 203,608 cases, France with 4,032 deaths and 56,989 cases, and mainland China with 3,312 deaths and 81,554 cases.
Since Tuesday at 1900 GMT, Congo, Oman, Slovakia, Botswana, Senegal and El Salvador have all announced their first deaths linked to the virus.
Europe now has 33,245 deaths for 490,484 cases, the United States and Canada 4,587 deaths and 213,134 cases, Asia 3,942 deaths and 110,570 cases, the Middle East 3,160 deaths and 59,541 cases, Latin America and the Caribbean has 538 deaths and 20,083 cases, Africa 223 deaths and 6,198 cases, and Oceania has 24 deaths and 5,579 cases.