ANKARA

The novel coronavirus continues to claim lives in Latin America as the death toll in Ecuador and Colombia spiked, health authorities announced Saturday.  

Ecuador health officials said 50 patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of deaths to 1,704 and confirmed cases going beyond the 30,000 mark.

The death toll rose to 428 in Colombia with 21 additional fatalities in the past 24 hours.

Colombia registered more than 10,000 cases with nearly 2,500 patients recovering from the virus.

Officials extended quarantine measures until May 25 as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

After originating in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions. 

The pandemic has killed nearly 275,000 worldwide, with almost 3.9 million infections, while recoveries have exceeded 1.3 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University. 

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas