ANKARA

Coronavirus cases and fatalities continued to rise Thursday on the African continent.

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo said the number of cases reached 6,411 there with 198 new infections in the past 24 hours.

While 885 patients recovered, 142 deaths were reported.

In the Central African Republic, the number of infections climbed by 88 in the past 24 hours to reach 3,051.

Deaths stand at 38 and recoveries reached 572.

While more than 338,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in Africa, the death toll on the continent exceeds 8,800.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil, and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed more than 484,400 people worldwide, with nearly 9.5 million confirmed cases. An excess of 4.78 million recoveries have been recorded, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut