BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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SANTIAGO -- Chile reported 2,139 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours, the highest daily figure since Sept. 25, for a total of 571,919 cases, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.
According to the ministry, the country also registered another 40 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 15,886.
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ANKARA -- Turkey reported on Sunday 26,919 COVID-19 cases, including 5,103 symptomatic ones, raising the total number of cases in the country to 1,836,728, its health ministry announced.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 218 to 16,417, while the total recoveries climbed to 1,603,780 after 22,215 more recovered in the last 24 hours.
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BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Sunday 1,012 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 574,634.
It is the lowest daily increase in Iraq since mid-June, as the ministry recorded single-day cases between 2,000 and 5,000 during the period.
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FRANKFURT -- Germany will go into stricter lockdown from Wednesday, closing non-essential shops and limiting the size of private gatherings, Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders agreed on Sunday.
The tighter restrictive measures, which will be effective until Jan. 10, were in response to an "exponential growth" in the number of COVID-19 cases in Germany, according to a policy paper.
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BEIJING -- Health authorities in the Chinese capital on Sunday issued guidelines on the self-protection of workers in the cold-chain food industry after a number of new COVID-19 cases were related to exposure to imported frozen foods.
The guidelines asked workers to wear facial masks and disposable gloves when handling frozen foods and to disinfect their uniforms when necessary, Beijing's center for disease control and prevention said at a press conference.
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MUSCAT -- Oman reported 571 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 126,240, the Omani Health Ministry said Sunday.
The country also registered eight new deaths from the virus, taking its death toll to 1,471, said the ministry.
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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia reported 1,229 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Sunday, bringing the national total to 83,475.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that two of the new cases are imported and 1,227 are local transmissions.
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ATHENS -- Greece reported 1,194 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 123,842, authorities announced on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the country's death toll from the virus increased by 68 to 3,540, according to the National Public Health Organization. Enditem
