People wearing face masks cross a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, on May 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
-- Iran sees record 3,574 daily new #COVID19 cases amid pandemic respike;
-- Turkey reports 988 new #coronavirus cases with plan to resume int'l flights;
-- China sends new batch of anti-coronavirus aid to Syria;
-- Egypt sees 8th consecutive day of 1,000 plus new cases.
CAIRO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday witnessed a record daily rise in COVID-19 cases amid the continuing resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic, while China delivered another batch of medical aid to help Syria fight the COVID-19.
The total number of COVID-19 cases surged to 164,270 in Iran with 3,574 new ones reported. The death toll in Iran, the highest in the Middle East, climbed to 8,071 after 59 more deaths were reported.
So far, 127,485 patients in Iran have recovered and 2,569 others remain in critical condition, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
Some Iranian officials warned that a second wave of infections might be underway.
In an article published on Iran's daily Arman Melli, Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki criticized some people for ignoring health protocols in domestic flights and in the holy shrines.
The minister also blasted some officials for trying to picture a normalization of situation in the country despite the raging coronavirus pandemic.
In another development, the key border crossing between Iran and Turkey in Bazargan in northwestern Iran reopened for trade after three-month closure over the pandemic.
A boy wearing a face mask feeds pigeons at a park in Ankara, Turkey, on June 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the region, reported 988 new COVID-19 cases and 21 more deaths from the disease, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 167,410 and the death toll to 4,630.
He said 926 patients recovered from the disease, raising the tally of recoveries in the country to 131,778.
Turkey is planning to resume international flights to 40 countries on June 10, with the first flights from Istanbul to a couple of countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Bahrain and Qatar.
Several others, including some European and Far Eastern countries, would be included in the flight list later this month.
In Damascus, Syrian Health Ministry received a new batch of Chinese medical equipment as part of the bilateral cooperation on combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feng Biao (L), Chinese ambassador to Syria, and Ahmad Khleifawi (R), the assistant health minister of Syria, attend a handover ceremony at the Syrian Health Ministry in Damascus, capital of Syria, on June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
At a handover ceremony held at the Health Ministry in Damascus, Ahmad Khleifawi, the assistant health minister, told reporters that the Syrian side appreciates the Chinese aid.
In Sudan, Siddiq Tawer, a member of Sudan's Sovereign Council and chairman of the Higher Committee for Health Emergencies, said China's success in controlling the COVID-19 represents a model Sudan is seeking to utilize to confront the disease.
The visit of the Chinese medical delegation reaffirms the strong and deeply-rooted ties between Beijing and Khartoum, Tawer said during a meeting with a visiting Chinese team of medical experts.
Saudi Arabia registered 1,975 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 93,157, the Health Ministry tweeted.
The death toll in the kingdom reached 611 after 32 new fatalities were added, while the total recoveries rose to 68,965 after 806 new recovered cases were reported.
The Qatari health ministry announced 1,581 new COVID-19 cases, increasing the tally of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 63,741.
The total recoveries in Qatar climbed to 39,468 after 1,926 new recoveries were added, while the death toll remained unchanged at 45 for the second day.
A hotel employee checks the body temperature of a woman in Conrad Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, on June 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Egypt reported 1,152 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 29,767. It is the eighth consecutive day for Egypt's daily infections to exceed 1,000.
Meanwhile, 38 patients died from the novel coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the death toll in Egypt to 1,126,
Oman's Health Ministry announced 778 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 14,316.
In Iraq, the Health Ministry recorded 672 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 8,840, while the death toll rose to 271 after 15 more patients died from the virus.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 659 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 37,018.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention said 419 more patients fully recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries to 19,572, while the death toll increased to 273 after three more fatalities were added.
Kuwait reported 562 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 29,921 and the death toll to 236, the health ministry said.
The ministry also announced the recovery of 1,473 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 17,223.
Israel reported 118 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily increase since May 1, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to 17,495, while the death toll remained at 291.
Israel's Transport Ministry said train services in the country would resume on June 8 as planned despite the recent increase in morbidity.
Morocco reported 81 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the North African country to 8,003, including 7,195 recoveries and 208 fatalities.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Thursday by 50 cases to 1,306, while the death toll rose by one case to 28.
The Lebanese cabinet extended on Thursday the general mobilization measures until July 5, allowing some economic activities to reopen while urging people to take necessary precautions. ■
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/05/c_139114996.htm