Geneva, July 27 (DPA) At least 134,503 people have been infected by swine flu virus across the globe, with 816 confirmed deaths, the World Health Organisation reported Monday.

An official said at least 160 countries were hit by the new virus, technically known as influenza A(H1N1), but the tally was not broken down into countries.

The WHO had previously said it would not issue any further statistics on infections.

Swine flu was 'unstoppable', the organisation has declared and deemed the virus a 'pandemic', though its severity is thought to be mild. While most infected people make quick and complete recoveries, some cases have proven fatal.

Regionally, the hardest hit area was the Americas, with 87,965 cases and 707 deaths.

The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific confirmed 21,577 infections, of which 30 were fatal.