People wearing face masks walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
--Iran's total COVID-19 cases surpass 336,000;
--Iraq sets new record in daily coronavirus infections;
--Saudi Arabia announces 1,482 new COVID-19 infections;
--Lebanon's total COVID-19 infections reach 7,711.
CAIRO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's total COVID-19 cases surpassed 336,000 on Thursday; Meanwhile, Iraq set a new record in daily coronavirus infections with 3,841 new cases.
The tally of coronavirus cases in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, rose to 336,324, with the addition of 2,625 infections in the past 24 hours.
Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the pandemic has so far claimed 19,162 lives in Iran, after 174 more fatalities were recorded.
So far, 292,058 patients have recovered, while 3,971 others remain in critical condition, she said.
Iraq broke another record in daily hike in COVID-19 cases with 3,841 new infections, which pushed the total number of infections to 164,277.
Iraqi Health Ministry also reported 53 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 5,641, and 2,667 more recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 117,208.
Riyadh al-Masoudi, a member of the Iraqi parliamentary committee on dealing with the pandemic, warned that the coming days will witness a significant increase in the number of daily infections, due to the failure to implement the preventive measures and the health instructions.
A worker checks a boy's body temperature at the entrance to a shopping center in Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
Saudi Arabian Health Ministry announced 1,482 new infections, taking the total confirmed cases in the kingdom to 294,519, and 34 new fatalities, raising the death toll to 3,303.
The total number of recoveries in the kingdom increased to 260,393 after 3,124 more recoveries were recorded.
Turkey confirmed 1,243 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total diagnosed cases to 245,635, and 21 more fatalities, taking the death toll to 5,912.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 968 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total recoveries to 228,057.
A waiter wearing a mask serves meals at a restaurant in Ankara, Turkey, on Aug. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
Israel's Ministry of Health reported 1,671 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 89,822.
The death toll in Israel climbed to 651 with 12 new deaths, while the number of recoveries reached 64,746, with 2,637 new recoveries.
The Israeli government on Thursday decided to allow citizens to fly to three European countries of Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece, starting on Sunday, as the first step to open its skies since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Meanwhile, first three Israeli COVID-19 patients treated with plasma-based antibodies showed a rapid clinical improvement and have already been discharged from the hospital, the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem said.
The trials were jointly conducted by the center and the Israeli biopharmaceutical company Kamada, based in the central city of Rehovot, as part of the effort to develop plasma-based products.
People wearing face masks walk on a street in Rabat, Morocco, on Aug. 8, 2020. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua)
Morocco registered 1,241 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the tally of infections in the country to 37,935, while the total recoveries increased by 1,010 to 26,687 and the death toll rose by 28 to 584.
Kuwait reported 701 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the total number of infections to 74,486.
The Kuwaiti Health Ministry said the death toll remained unchanged at 489, while the total number of recoveries rose to 66,099 after 648 more patients recovered.
Tareq Al-Mezrem, the Kuwaiti government spokesman, announced that Kuwait will move into the fourth phase of its five-phase plan to return to normal life on Aug. 18, while keeping the partial curfew from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. until further notice.
The Kuwaiti government also decided to further ease the restrictions, by allowing salons, gyms, barbershops, tailors, and spas to reopen and restaurants to offer more services during the fourth phase.
Algeria recorded 488 new coronavirus infections, leading to 37,187 the tally of confirmed cases, which include 1,341 deaths and 26,004 recoveries.
Palestine reported 433 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally to 20,526, including 116 deaths and 1,022 recoveries.
In Qatar, the health ministry announced 343 new COVID-19 infections, as the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state surged to 114,281.
Meanwhile, 330 more patients recovered from the coronavirus, bringing the total recoveries to 110,957, while the death toll remained at 190.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 277 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 63,489, including 358 deaths and 57,372 recoveries.
In Lebanon, the total COVID-19 infections increased by 298 cases to 7,711 on Thursday, while the death toll went up by three to 92, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.
Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced that the state of health emergency will be extended for one month due to the spread of the virus.
Egypt reported 145 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally of cases to 96,108, including 5,107 deaths and 56,890 recoveries.
In Syria, the health ministry confirmed 105 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the overall number of infections to 1,432, including 395 recoveries and 55 deaths. ■
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