Brazil reports 552 virus fatalities, 267 die in Mexico

Brazil reported 552 COVID-19 fatalities on Monday, while 267 more patients died in Mexico over the past 24 hours.

The death toll in Brazil now stands at 57,622, and the number of cases has reached 1,344,143, with 30,476 additions since Monday, according to the Health Ministry.

With over 271,000 cases, Brazil's most populous city, Sao Paulo, remains the hardest-hit area of the country.

The death toll in Mexico reached 26,648, with 267 more fatalities, according to the Health Ministry data.

The number of cases surged to 216,852, with 4,050 additions in the last 24 hours.

Mexico confirmed its first COVID-19 case on Feb. 28 and first death due to the disease on March 19.

Since first appearing in Wuhan, 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 501,000 people worldwide, with over 10.14 million confirmed cases and more than 5.14 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.