Customers wearing face masks wait to get food at a restaurant in Antalya, Turkey, on Aug. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
-- Iran's confirmed COVID-19 cases rise to 356,792, 20,502 deaths;
-- Iraq's infections surpass 200,000;
-- Saudi Arabia's tally hits 306,370;
-- Morocco's total cases exceed 50,000.
CAIRO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's confirmed novel coronavirus cases rose to 356,792 on Saturday after an overnight registration of 2,028 new infections. Meanwhile, Iraq's COVID-19 cases surpassed 200,000.
Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said the pandemic has so far claimed 20,502 lives in Iran, up by 126 in the past 24 hours.
Besides, 307,702 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 3,850 remain in critical condition.
Iranian women wearing face masks cross a street in Rasht, Iran, on Aug. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
In Iraq, the total number of COVID-19 infections reached 201,050, as the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,965 new cases.
It also reported 70 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 6,353, while 2,947 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 143,393.
Ghaiyb al-Omairi, a member of the parliamentary health committee, said in a press release that the infections with coronavirus could climb to 10,000 per day if the non-compliance with the health restrictions continued.
Reaching 10,000 daily infections is something possible, but applying the health restrictions and abiding by the instructions of the World Health Organization and the Health Ministry would reduce the number of infections, al-Omairi said.
The pressure on the health institutions may increase if the number of infections increases and the health situation may get out of control, he said.
People wearing face masks are seen at a street in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 19, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)
Saudi Arabia's Health Ministry announced the registration of 1,184 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total cases to 306,370.
The recoveries rose to 78,441 with the registration of 1,374 new recovered cases and the death toll reached 3,619 with the registration of 39 fatalities in the last 24 hours.
Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced that government employees will return to work starting Aug. 30.
The decision was based on the health reports of the kingdom's cities and governorates, the ministry said, adding employees must follow anti-coronavirus precautions during their working hours.
In Turkey, the total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 257,032 with 1,309 new infections, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
The death toll from the virus in the country increased to 6,102 after 22 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, Koca said, adding the total recoveries rose to 236,370.
The Qatari health ministry announced 284 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 116,765.
Meanwhile, 315 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 113,531, while the death toll remained at 193.
Kuwait reported 688 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 79,957 and the death toll to 513, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also announced the recovery of 506 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 71,770.
A medical worker collects a swab from a woman for a COVID-19 test in Sale, Morocco, on Aug. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Chadi)
Morocco registered 1,565 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number in the North African country to 50,812, the health ministry said.
In addition, 41 new deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 858, and the total recoveries increased by 841 to 35,040 in the last 24 hours in Morocco.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 424 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 66,617.
In addition, 112 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 58,408. The UAE also confirmed two more deaths, pushing up the country's death toll to 372.
The Palestinian minister of health reported 311 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections in the Palestinian territories to 24,709, including 15,338 recoveries and 140 deaths.
The Lebanese health ministry reported 611 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number to 12,191 while the death toll went up by five to 121.
Over the past few days, Lebanese doctors have been warning against a scenario of uncontrollable spread of COVID-19 similar to what had happened in Italy.
Walid Mahmoud, director general of Irfan Hospital, said in that scenario hospitals would become full and doctors have to remove ventilators from the old to save young people.
We will also have to choose who will be admitted to hospitals which cannot receive all patients at once, Mahmoud said.
The National Center for Disease Control of Libya reported 414 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country so far to more than 10,000.
The Center said in a statement earlier Saturday that it received a total of 2,562 suspected samples, of which 414 were tested positive, adding six patients have recovered and seven died. ■
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/23/c_139310740.htm