CAIRO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran's total COVID-19 cases climbed to 320,117 on Thursday with the addition of 2,634 cases. Meanwhile, the tally of coronavirus cases in Iraq crossed 140,000 amid the pandemic resurgence.
Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said that 174 new deaths were registered, taking the total fatalities in the country to 17,976.
So far, 277,463 patients have recovered from the infectious respiratory virus, while 4,156 remained in critical condition in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East.
Iraq reported 3,047 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily hike in the region on the day, raising the total infections in the country to 140,603.
The Iraqi Health Ministry confirmed 67 new fatalities, raising the death toll to 5,161. The total number of recoveries soared to 101,025 with the recovery of 2,583 more patients.
Riyadh Abdul-Amir, head of the ministry's Public Health Department, warned against downplaying the risks of COVID-19 and urged the citizens to abide by the preventive measures.
Turkey reported 1,153 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the total confirmed infections to 237,265, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
Meanwhile, 14 more people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,798, while the total recoveries increased to 220,546 after 1,040 more patients recovered.
The Turkish government does not consider re-imposing curfews despite the rapid hike in new infections, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
Turkey also launched a comprehensive inspection across the country to monitor the compliance with the COVID-19 rules.
In Israel, the Health Ministry reported 1,640 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections to 79,559, and 11 more deaths, raising the death toll to 576.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Israel will begin trials of a COVID-19 vaccine right after the upcoming Jewish holidays which end on Oct. 10.
Israeli Ministry of Transport said Thursday that it will soon set up a COVID-19 testing laboratory at Ben Gurion International Airport near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
The ministry said that the winner of the tender will set up the coronavirus testing lab at the airport within 45 days after signing the contract.
In Saudi Arabia, 1,402 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 284,226, while the death toll rose to 3,055 with 35 new fatalities.
Saudi Health Ministry Spokesperson Mohammed Abdulaali told a press briefing that the number of critical cases in the kingdom has dropped by 12 percent in the past two weeks.
He attributed the drop to the commitment of the public to follow the precautionary measures, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Kuwait on Thursday reported 620 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 70,045 and the death toll to 469.
The Kuwaiti Health Ministry said in a statement that the tally of recoveries in Kuwait rose to 61,610 after 704 more patients recovered from the disease.
Palestine announced 453 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in the country to 17,434.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that the death toll from the coronavirus reached 95 in Palestine, while the total recoveries rose to 8,417.
Oman on Thursday reported 427 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 80,713, including 492 deaths and 70,910 recoveries.
In Qatar, the Health Ministry announced 287 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total cases in the Gulf state to 112,092, which includes 178 deaths and 108,831 recoveries.
Lebanon's total number of COVID-19 infections increased on Thursday by 255 cases to 5,672, while the death toll went up by two to 70, the Health Ministry reported.
Lebanese hospitals are under a big burden amid a daily increase in COVID-19 cases, as they are treating a number of victims wounded by the two explosions that rocked Beirut on Tuesday.
The United Arab Emirates on Thursday announced 239 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 61,845, which includes 354 deaths and 55,739 recoveries.
In Morocco, the government registered 1,144 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections in the North African country to 29,644.
The total recoveries increased by 559 to 20,553, while the death toll rose by 14 to 449 in the last 24 hours.
Earlier in the day, Moroccan government extended the state of medical emergency for another month until Sept. 10 amid the resurge of COVID-19 cases. Enditem
