People wearing face masks walk on a street in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)
CAIRO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday that Turkey is at the peak point of the coronavirus outbreak, with 2,936 new cases reported, while the total infections in Iran reached 93,657 after 1,073 new cases were added in the past 24 hours.
"I can say that we are at the peak period, but we see a fall in the number of (new) cases," Koca stated at a press conference, noting a risk of a new wave is not foreseen if the current measures are followed.
With a total confirmed cases of 117,589, Turkey also registered 89 new fatalities of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 3,081 in the country.
So far, 44,022 patients have recovered from the viral respiratory disease in the hardest hit country by the novel coronavirus in the Middle East.
Iran, now the second hardest hit country in the Middle East, has continued to witness slowdown in the epidemic, where the death toll from the novel coronavirus has hit 5,957 while 73,791 have recovered with 2,965 still in critical condition, according to the country's health ministry.
With increased testing capacity, Saudi Arabia reported 1,325 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 21,402, while the death toll increased by five to 157 in the kingdom.
Among the 18,292 active cases in Saudi Arabia are 125 in critical condition, while 2,953 recoveries have been recorded, Mohammed Al Abdulaali, spokesman of the health ministry, told the daily press briefing on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that markets and malls in Saudi Arabia started to partially reopen on Wednesday, with a limited operating hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.
In Israel, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries has exceeded the number of active cases for the first time, the health ministry said Wednesday.
According to the ministry, the number of active cases has dropped to 7,337, while the number of recoveries reached 8,233, with 487 new ones added.
Israel has so far reported 15,834 COVID-19 cases, with only 106 new ones added on Wednesday, the smallest single-day increase since March 20 when 28 new cases were added.
The Israeli government is expected to discuss the gradual reopening of the education system, markets, shopping malls and cinemas, as well as allowing swimming at sea, according to the media reports.
In Palestine, six new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, raising the total number in the Palestinian territories to 507.
Qatar's health ministry on Wednesday announced 643 new infections of the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 12,564, of which 11,311 are under treatment.
As the first among the Gulf countries to report COVID-19 cases, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday announced 549 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 11,929.
The UAE's health ministry also confirmed nine more deaths, bringing the death toll to 98.
Egypt recorded on Wednesday 226 new COVID-19 cases and 21 new deaths, bringing the total number of the cases and the death toll in the country to 5,268 and 380 respectively.
The Egyptian government is currently trying to strike a balance between fighting COVID-19 and resuming services, businesses and economic activities through a coexistence plan, according to a video cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday attended with his African counterparts a virtual mini-summit held by the African Union to discuss joint efforts to combat COVID-19 pandemic in the continent, the Egyptian presidency said.
In Morocco, 69 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 4,321 in the North African country, with 168 deaths and 928 recoveries.
Algeria on Wednesday reported 199 new cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day increase in the country, raising the total number of infections to 3,848.
On Wednesday, Kuwait reported 300 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death, bringing the total infections in the Gulf country to 3,740 and death toll to 24, the health ministry said in a statement.
A team of Chinese medical experts arrived in Kuwait on Monday night to help the Arab country fight coronavirus.
During their stay in Kuwait, the Chinese experts will exchange experience with their Kuwaiti counterparts, assisting them in the prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.
Iraq confirmed 75 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number in the country to 2,003.
The Tunisian Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday five new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 980 in the country.
Earlier in the day, Lobna Jribi, Tunisian minister in charge of major national projects, announced that the nationwide lockdown measures will be phased out starting May 4.
However, Tunisian Health Minister Abdellatif Mekki warned that his country is "not immune to a second wave of the novel coronavirus epidemic."
War-torn Yemen recorded on Wednesday five new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country's southern port city of Aden. Enditem
