CAIRO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, reached 235,429 on Friday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's tally surpassed 200,000.
Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, reported 2,566 new cases of coronavirus infection, taking the total confirmed cases to 235,429 in Iran.
So far, 196,446 patients in Iran have recovered from the virus and 3,123 remained in critical condition.
Turkey on Friday reported 1,172 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country's tally of confirmed cases to 203,456.
In the past 24 hours, Turkey recorded 19 more deaths from the infectious respiratory disease, taking the death toll to 5,186, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
The tally of recoveries in Turkey rose to 178,278, the minister said.
In Saudi Arabia, 4,193 new cases were reported, bringing the accumulated infections to 201,801, the Health Ministry tweeted.
The recoveries in Saudi Arabia reached 140,614 with the registration of 2,945 new recovered cases. The death toll rose to 1,802 with 50 more fatalities in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Saudi ministry announced on Friday that more than 100 virus-infected patients were treated through the blood plasma of recovered cases. The treatment is part of a nationwide medical study.
Egypt reported 1,412 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total cases to 72,711, while the death toll from the virus increased to 3,201 after 81 more patients died.
Egypt received two flights carrying 313 tourists from Switzerland and Belarus on Thursday, the second day of Egypt's international flights resumption after more than three months of suspension over COVID-19 concerns.
Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday confirmed 2,312 new COVID-19 cases, as the total number of infections climbed to 56,020.
The ministry also confirmed 102 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 2,262 in the country.
Israel reported 1,008 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total infections to 28,055 on Friday, the Ministry of Health said.
The number of death cases increased from 324 to 326, while the number of recoveries rose to 17,669, with 122 new recoveries, the ministry said.
The number of active cases has reached a new high of 10,060, breaking the previous record of 9,808 active cases registered on April 15, it said.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday announced 672 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 50,141.
Some 489 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 39,153, according to the ministry.
The ministry also confirmed one more death, pushing the country's death toll from the pandemic to 318.
In Morocco, a total of 319 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 13,228.
The number of the patients cured increased to 9,160 with 70 new recoveries, said Hind Ezzine, head of the Department of Epidemic Diseases of the Ministry of Health, at a regular press briefing.
Ezzine said that the country's COVID-19 death toll stood at 230, as one new fatality was recorded in the last 24 hours.
Syrian Health Ministry recorded 16 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 328, which includes 10 deaths and 123 recoveries.
Kuwait, which started the second phase of restoring normal life from Tuesday, reported 913 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 48,672 and the death toll to 360.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by 34 cases to 1,830 while death toll remained unchanged at 35.
Lebanon re-opened its airport on July 1 to receive Lebanese expats and tourists in hope of helping local economy and saving it from total collapse. Enditem
