UPDATE 2 - Coronavirus cases rise in 7 Arab countries

UPDATES WITH NUMBERS FROM SAUDI ARABIA, MAURITANIA, REVISES TITLE, LEDE

By Muhammed Semiz

ANKARA (AA) - Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania confirmed new cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus on Thursday.

The death toll in Morocco has risen to 96 after three more fatalities over the past 24 hours, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

The ministry said 71 new cases have raised the total number of COVID-19 cases to 1,346, while 103 people have recovered so far.

Kuwait’s Health Ministry reported 55 new cases on Thursday, taking the total to 910, including 111 recoveries.

“The number of patients in intensive care is now at 22. Eight of them are in critical condition, while the rest are stable,” the ministry said in a statement.

In Qatar, 166 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,376. The country’s death toll remains at six, while recoveries rose by 28 to 206.

“Some of the new cases have recently returned from countries that have high infection rates. Other cases include people who came into contact with the returnees and migrant workers,” the country’s Health Ministry said in a statement.

It added that 43,144 people have been tested in Qatar so far.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, pushing the total to 582, while the death toll remains at 19.

The death toll in Tunisia has risen to 24 after one more fatality over the past 24 hours, according to the country’s Health Ministry. The ministry reported five new cases on Thursday, taking the total to 628, including 111 recoveries.

The Saudi Health Ministry recorded three deaths, taking the toll to 44. As many as 355 fresh cases were also reported over the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 3,287, including 666 recoveries.

In Mauritania, the Health Ministry confirmed a new case, pushing the total to seven. The ministry also reported two recoveries and one death.

Since appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

More than 1.5 million cases have now been reported worldwide, with the death toll close to 90,000, and over 340,100 recoveries.

* Bassel Ibrahim and Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this report from Ankara