Coronavirus cases, deaths rise in Arab countries

By Hacer Baser

ISTANBUL (AA) - Health authorities in several Arab countries confirmed more cases and deaths late Thursday from the novel coronavirus as the Middle East struggles to contain its spread.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry announced that the country’s death toll from the coronavirus had risen to 219 after 10 people died in the last 24 hours.

The number of cases in the country has risen to 33,731 while 7,798 people have recovered from the virus.

The United Arab Emirates’ Health Ministry said a total of 16,240 people in the country have been infected with COVID-19, including 165 deaths and 3,572 recoveries.

In Kuwait, the Health Ministry said the number of confirmed cases in the country totals 6,567, with the death toll at 44 and 2,381 recoveries.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Health Ministry said the country has 18,890 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,286 recoveries.

The ministry said 12 people have died from the virus.

In a statement, Bahrain’s Health Ministry said the nationwide death toll had risen to eight and the country has 4,199 confirmed cases.

A total of 2,000 people have recovered from the disease.

Oman's Ministry of Health announced that the total number of cases in the country has risen to 2,958 and the number of recoveries stood at 980.

The country’s death toll from the virus stands at 14.

In Morocco, a total of 5,548 people have been diagnosed with the virus, with the number of recoveries reaching 2,179.

The country did not announce any new casualties, with the death toll remaining at 183.

Lebanon also did not announce any casualties in the last 24 hours, but the Health Ministry said in a statement that the number of cases in the country has reached 784 while a total of 25 people have died.

Algeria announced that the country’s death toll had reached 483 with six more fatalities from the virus.

The number of cases in the country now totals 5,182 with 185 people diagnosed with the virus in the last 24 hours.

Egypt reported 393 new cases of the virus, bringing the country’s total to 7,981, while the death toll rose to 482 as 13 more people died.

The number of coronavirus cases in Iraq rose to 2,543 after 63 more cases were reported with the number of recoveries totaling 1,626.

Jordan's Health Minister Saad Jaber said in a press conference that the number of cases in the country had reached 494 after 11 more people tested positive for the virus.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit