ANKARA

Health authorities in Brazil said Thursday that 141 people had died in the past 24 hours from the novel coronavirus as the nation struggles to contain the outbreak.    

The Health Ministry said the latest figures brought the country’s death toll to 941 while the number of cases had risen by 1,930 to 17,857. 

The 210 million-strong nation is one of the worst-hit countries in Latin America by the virus and was the first in the region to report a COVID-19-related fatality.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

More than 1.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 95,000 and more than 354,000 recoveries.

*Writing by Davut Demircan