Coronavirus Watch in Mideast: Iran's COVID-19 cases near 400,000; UAE daily new cases hit record high of 1,007

Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-13 05:15:21|Editor: huaxia

People wearing face masks walk on a street in Rasht, Iran, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

--Iran's cases reach 399,940 with 23,029 deaths;

--UAE daily new cases hit a record high of 1,007;

--Turkey's death toll nears 7,000;

--Iraq reports 60 new deaths, lowest in recent weeks.

CAIRO, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran on Saturday approached 400,000, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said its daily coronavirus cases hit a record high of 1,007.

Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East region, reported 2,139 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 399,940.

The pandemic has so far claimed 23,029 lives in Iran, up by 116 in the past 24 hours. A total of 344,516 coronavirus patients have recovered, while 3,768 are still in critical condition.

In the meantime, the official news agency IRNA reported that Iranian medical scientists will soon start human trials for an anti-coronavirus vaccine after the stage of animal trials has passed.

The UAE on Saturday announced 1,007 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily spike since the pandemic outbreak in the country, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 78,849.

At the same time, 521 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 68,983, UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said.

It also confirmed one more death, pushing the country's death toll to 399.

Saudi Arabia announced 643 new cases and 27 more deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 325,050 and the death toll to 4,240.

The kingdom also reported 903 more recovered patients, taking the total recoveries to 301,836.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed by 1,509 to 289,635, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted on Saturday.

A hairdresser wearing a face mask serves a customer at a hairdressing salon in Ankara, Turkey, on Sept. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

The death toll from the coronavirus in the country rose to 6,999 after 48 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, Koca said, adding that the total recoveries increased to 257,731.

Turkey's biggest city Istanbul on Saturday banned weddings and related ceremonies on boats on the Bosphorus Strait while suspending all outdoor concerts and festivals over the rising coronavirus cases.

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Saturday 4,106 COVID-19 new cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 286,778.

Students wearing masks sit in a hall for examination in Baghdad, Iraq on Sept. 1, 2020. (Xinhua)

It also reported 60 more deaths, the lowest in recent weeks, bringing the death toll from the infectious virus to 7,941 in the country.

In Qatar, 236 new cases of coronavirus infections were detected, increasing the total number to 121,523, including 205 deaths and 118,475 recoveries.

Kuwait reported 736 new cases, bringing the country's total number of infections to 94,211, of whom 558 have died and 84,404 recovered.

Morocco reported 2,238 new COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths on Saturday, raising the tally of infections to 84,435 and the death toll to 1,553.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 65,867 after 1,673 new ones were added, said the ministry of health in a statement.

Palestine on Saturday reported 650 new COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian territories, raising the total number of infections to 38,516.

A Palestinian boy wearing a face mask waits for ice cream with pancakes in Gaza City, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Rizek Abdeljawad)

Six new fatalities from the novel coronavirus were recorded, bringing the death toll in the Palestinian territories to 238, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement, adding that there are 11,396 active COVID-19 cases.

Lebanon registered on Saturday 686 new COVID-19 infections, making the total number of cases 23,669, while the death toll increased by 10 to 239, the Health Ministry reported.

Libya reported 440 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 22,348, including 354 fatalities and 12,100 recoveries.

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