Ambulance workers push a wheelchair with a patient at a nursing home in Leganes Madrid, Madrid, Spain. File/Reuters

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 75,000 people worldwide, the majority of them in Europe, since it emerged in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources at 0945 GMT on Tuesday.

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A total of 75,538 deaths have been recorded, including 53,928 in Europe, the continent worst hit by the virus.

The official tallies probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of cases. Many countries are testing only the most serious cases.

Medical staff-members transport an Italian patient upon arrival in Bonn, Germany from Bergamo, Italy. AFP

Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death at the end of February, has 16,523 fatalities, followed by Spain with 13,798, the United States with 10,993 and France with 8,911.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,350,759 cases have been registered around the world, including 708,898 in Europe, 384,947 in the United States and Canada, and 122,348 in Asia.

A member of the Military Emergencies Unit sprays a crucifix as they carry out a general disinfection in Barcelona. AFP

Spain's daily coronavirus death rate shot up to 743 on Tuesday after falling for four straight days, lifting the total toll to 13,798, the health ministry said.

The number of new infections in the world's second hardest-hit country after Italy also grew at a faster pace, rising 4.1 percent to 140,510, it added. The number of new cases had risen by 3.3 percent on Monday.

An elderly COVID-19 patient is transferred to an ambulance from a Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Felipe Dana/AP

Health ministry officials have said deaths occurring on the weekend are often registered a few days later, which may explain the rise.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Iran has risen to more than 62,000 and the death toll is nearing 4,000, according to health ministry data announced on Tuesday, but a senior official suggested the true number of infections might be far higher.

Staff prepare to load equipment into London Ambulance Service vehicles in the east car park at the ExCeL in London. AFP

Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state television that a further 133 people had died from the virus overnight, bringing Iran's death toll to 3,872. Nearly 4,000 infected people are in a critical condition, he added.

The total number of coronavirus cases has reached 62,589, with 2,089 new infections, Jahanpur said.

However, a member of Iran's National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce, Hamid Souri has put the number of cases in the nation of 83 million at "around 500,000", the state news agency IRNA reported.