ANKARA

Health authorities in Ecuador and Peru confirmed new deaths Thursday from the novel coronavirus, which has killed nearly 95,000 people worldwide. 

Ecuador reported 30 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its tally to 272.

The number of cases in the country rose to 4,965.

In Peru, the death toll hit 138 with four new deaths.

Cases in the country total 5,256, with the capital Lima especially hard hit with 3,704.

Since appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, 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 and over 353,000 recoveries.

*Writing by Davut Demircan