Chile has identified more than 500,000 cases of the new coronavirus since the outbreak began in March, the health ministry said on Saturday.

According to the ministry,  500,542 Chileans were confirmed to have suffered from the virus, including 1,631 cases added in the past day and 48 deaths, taking fatalities to a total of 13,892. Active cases are at a record low of 9,900, it added.

According to a report by Reuters, Chile, which was among the worst-hit nations by COVID-19 in July, ranking only behind Qatar globally for cases per head of the population, has in the past two months gradually eased lockdowns.

Restaurants and bars have opened with limited capacity, office workers are returning and some schools have reopened.

(With input from agencies)