BUENOS AIRES

The novel coronavirus continues to claim lives across the world, with Brazil and Mexico registering hundreds of new deaths and cases.

According to the Health Ministry in Brazil, at least 553 more people have died of the virus over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 121,381.

The tally of confirmed cases has neared 4 million with around 45,961 new infections, while more than 3 million people have recovered.

With a population of 46 million, Sao Paulo remains the hardest-hit region with 804,342 cases and 30,014 deaths.

Brazil, which has a population of over 221 million, is known as the epicenter of the outbreak in Latin America.

- Mexico

The death toll in Mexico hit 64,414 with 256 additions.

The total number of cases in the country rose to 599,560, as 3,719 more people tested positive for the virus. As many as 416,738 people have recovered from the disease.

The first coronavirus case in Mexico was registered on Feb. 28 and the first fatality on March 19.

Since it originated in China last December, the coronavirus has claimed more than 850,500 lives in 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.

Nearly 25.5 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 16.82 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.