COVID-19: Worldwide death toll reaches 164,000

Gravediggers wearing protective clothing prepare to bury a patient who passed away due to the coronavirus disease, at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, Apr 17, 2020. REUTERS/File

THE number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide has continued to increase with over 7,000 more cases within 24 hours.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, this brings the total deaths to 164,000.

So far, three countries have more than 20,000 deaths while two others more than 10,000.

The United States (US) remains the worst affected country with a death toll of more than 40,000.

This was followed by Italy with 23,000 fatalities while Spain has more than 20,000 deaths.

France and the United Kingdom each recorded 19,000 and 16,000 fatalities, respectively.

Meanwhile, most European countries that have been severely affected by COVID-19 have recorded declining deaths over the past week.