Yemen records 5 new COVID-19 infections

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - The government of the war-torn country of Yemen on Wednesday announced five new coronavirus infections in the capital Aden.

Details about the new cases will be announced later at a press conference, Yemen’s committee to combat coronavirus said on Twitter.

The government on April 10 announced the country’s first confirmed coronavirus case in the eastern province of Hadhramaut.

On April 13, the government said the patient has recovered from the illness.

The country has been suffering from a deterioration in the health sector due to the ongoing six-year conflict between the government forces supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition and Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in March 2015 after Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa, and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.

More than 3.14 million cases have been reported worldwide, with a death toll surpassing 218,500 and more than 948,500 recoveries.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara