The total number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide has increased to 302,493 with the global confirmed cases reaching 4,444,670 as of 5:30 pm BJT on Friday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Medical workers wait to enter the red zone to treat coronavirus patients at the Spasokukotsky clinical hospital in Moscow on April 22. (Photo: Agencies)

Current status (data as of  5:30 pm BJT, May 15):

Chinese health authority said Friday that it received reports of four new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Thursday. All four new cases were reported in Jilin Province, the National Health Commission said in a daily report. And one suspected case was reported in Shanghai.

A clinical trial has begun in the United States to evaluate whether anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, given together with antibiotic azithromycin, can prevent COVID-19 hospitalization and death, according to a release published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health on Thursday.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Germany in the first quarter of 2020 was down by 2.2 percent on the 4th quarter of 2019 upon price, seasonal and calendar adjustment, according to German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports published Friday.

Russia has confirmed 10,598 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, raising its total number of infections to 262,843, according to a statement released by its coronavirus response center on Friday.

The Philippines on Friday reported 215 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12,091 in the country.

South Korea reported 27 more cases of COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Friday local time, raising the total number of infections to 11,018.