QUITO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Sunday said it has 36,756 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and a death toll of 3,108 since the start of the outbreak in the South American country.

In the past 24 hours, healthcare workers reported 498 new cases of infection and 12 more deaths from the disease.

Ecuador's actual death toll may be higher as 1,929 deaths are considered "likely" to have been caused by the virus, but have not been verified, the Public Health Ministry said.

The southwest province of Guayas continues to be the epicenter of the national outbreak, with a total of 13,787 people testing positive, 217 more than on Saturday, and 1,362 deaths.

The province's capital, Guayaquil, is the country's second most populated city and the country's worst hit urban center, with 9,606 cases of infection.

All of Ecuador's 24 provinces have seen an outbreak, though to different degrees, including Galapagos, home to the world-famous Galapagos Islands. In recent days, parts of the country have begun to cautiously emerge from a March 17 lockdown to resume some economic activity. Enditem

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