CAIRO, Jan 5 (NNN-MENA) – Turkey saw the number of COVID-19 cases reaching over 2.25 million yesterday, while Iran’s total confirmed cases approach 1.25 million. Meanwhile, Lebanon announced a 25-day lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.
Turkey, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, confirmed 13,695 cases, including 1,508 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,255,607, its health ministry said.
The death toll from the virus rose by 197 to 21,685, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,146,430, after 9,896 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.
Iranian health authorities announced 6,073 new COVID-19 infections, raising the country’s overall count to 1,249,507 cases.
Of the new infection in the past 24 hours, 679 had to be hospitalised, Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education said.
A total of 110 new deaths were registered, which took the death toll to 55,650, so far, and 1,020,737 patients recovered and released from hospitals, she said.
Lebanon’s COVID-19 ministerial committee approved a 25-day lockdown set to start from Jan 7 until Feb 1, in an attempt to curb the pandemic.
“The situation in the country has reached a very dangerous level, amid the inability of hospitals to secure more beds for patients, which necessitates the implementation of a new lockdown,” Lebanese Caretaker Health Minister, Hamad Hassan said.
All shops, restaurants will close, except supermarkets and pharmacies, which will open until 5 p.m.
The committee also approved a curfew to start from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. except for doctors, nurses and journalists.
Lebanon’s number of infections increased by 2,861 to 192,139, while death toll went up by 13 to 1,512.
Morocco announced 656 new cases, taking the tally in the North African country to 443,802.
The number of recoveries hit 414,972, after 1,579 more were added, while the death toll rose by 53 to 7,538, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported 595 new cases, the lowest since early June, bringing the total nationwide infections to 598,369.
The ministry reported 10 new deaths, raising the death toll to 12,844, and 1,809 more recovered cases, bringing the total recoveries to 545,529.
Kuwait’s COVID-19 cases increased by 372 to 151,715 yesterday, while the death toll rose by one to 938.
The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 240 more patients, taking the total recoveries to 147,511.
The Omani Health Ministry announced 180 new cases, raising the total number of cases to 129,584, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.
Meanwhile, 106 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 122,372, while one reportedly died, pushing the tally up to 1,502, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA.
The Qatari Health Ministry announced 207 new infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 144,644.
Meanwhile, 117 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 141,925, while fatalities remained at 245 for a week now, according to a ministry statement.– NNN-MENA
