CAIRO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday said that its total COVID-19 cases reached 333,699, after reporting 2,510 new cases during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's tally rises to 293,037.
The death toll from the virus in Iran, the hardest-hit country in Middle East, rose to 18,988 after 188 new deaths were added overnight, Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian health ministry, announced during her daily update.
Out of the new patients, 1,089 were hospitalized, she said, adding that there have been 290,244 recoveries, while 3,940 still remain in critical condition.
Saudi Arabia reported 1,569 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections to 293,037.
The death toll climbed by 36 to 3,269, while the total recoveries in the kingdom soared to 257,269 after 2,151 new recoveries were added.
In Iraq, the health ministry reported 3,441 new cases in the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 160,436.
It also reported 57 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 5,588, while 2,439 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 114,541.
The ministry said it is ready to face a new wave of COVID-19 as it is increasing the capacity of hospitals.
"The work is underway to add more than 2,000 beds in hospitals, and now we have wards equipped with all the necessary devices to receive COVID-19 patients," Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency.
Iraq is still within the first wave of the virus due to the early measures taken by the ministry, al-Jumaili said, adding that the noncompliance by the citizens during the holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha caused the recent increase of infections.
Turkey confirmed 1,212 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the total diagnosed cases to 244,392, Koca later tweeted.
Meanwhile, 18 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,891, he said.
Israel reported the rise of 1,558 COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the state to 88,151.
The virus claimed 17 more lives, leading the death toll to 639 in Israel, while the total number of recoveries surged to 62,109 after 2,029 more patients recovered.
Morocco reported 1,499 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 36,694.
The total number of recoveries from the coronavirus in Morocco increased to 25,626 after 292 new ones were added, while the death toll rose by 23 to 556 in Morocco.
Kuwait reported 717 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 73,785 and the death toll to 489, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also announced the recovery of 692 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 65,451.
Algeria reported 495 new cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total infections to 36,699 including 1,333 deaths.
Palestine registered 499 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 20,093, including 114 deaths and 11,514 recoveries.
The Qatari Health Ministry announced 292 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 113,938.
Meanwhile, 303 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 110,627, while the death toll increased by two to 190.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 246 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 63,212.
And 232 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 57,193.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 292 to 7,413 while the death toll went up by two to 89, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The health sector in Lebanon has been operating at a capacity rate of 50 percent due to the explosions that rocked Beirut on Aug. 4 and destroyed a big part of the city.
Firas Abiad, director at Rafic Hariri University Hospital, said on Wednesday that hospitals were already suffering from a low inventory in supplies and medications due to the financial crisis, but those supplies and medications were mostly depleted on the night of the explosions.
Tunisian Ministry of Health reported 42 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 1,780, including 52 deaths and 1,278 recoveries. Enditem
