Timor-Leste, like a lot of countries plunged into a state of emergency by the pandemic, is ramping up testing for the coronavirus, in an effort to stave off domestic transmission.

The Integrated Crises Management Centre’s  (CIGC) said its testing program had covered 1120 people since starting in March, with 822 negative results.

CIGC spokesperson, Dr Rui Araujo, said he hoped to be testing more people in municipalities after mobile health teams were dispatched to regional areas early this week.

More than 4.26 million people around the world have been confirmed with the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 291,000 have died - 82,000 of them in the United States. Nearly 1.5 million people have recovered.