ABUJA, Nigeria  

South Africa registered 1,846 new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, bringing the number of infections to 620,132, the health ministry announced. 

It said 115 people died from the virus, pushing the number of fatalities to 13,743.

Health care professionals conducted 3.63 million tests and the number of recoveries reached 533,935.

- Worldwide

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed nearly 836,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since it originated in China last December. The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.

More than 24 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 16 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.