BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said it is ready to face a new wave of COVID-19 as it is increasing the capacity of hospitals, while the ministry reported 3,441 new cases in the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 160,436.
"The work is underway to add more than 2,000 beds in hospitals, and now we have wards equipped with all the necessary devices to receive COVID-19 patients," the Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency.
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KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 717 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 73,785 and the death toll to 489, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Currently, 7,845 patients are receiving treatment, including 117 in ICU, the statement added.
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KATHMANDU -- The Nepali government on Wednesday confirmed the record-high single day fatality of eight deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 91.
Eight people, aged between 32 to 78, died from COVID-19, Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday. "Among them, six are males and two are females."
Meanwhile, the Nepali government reported 484 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total cases to 24,432.
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WINDHOEK -- Namibia has reverted to level three of lockdown following rising cases of COVID-19 which are now above 3,000, President Hage Geingob said on Wednesday.
The migration to level three lockdown is effective from midnight of Aug. 12.
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NEW DELHI -- India's federal junior minister for indigenous alternative medicine systems Shripad Y Naik on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19.
The announcement was made by Naik himself with a request to people who were in close contact with him to undergo a test for COVID-19 and take precautions.
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NAIROBI -- Kenya's total number of COVID-9 cases surpassed 28,000 on Wednesday amid steady increase in the number of recoveries, the Ministry of Health said.
Mercy Mwangangi, chief administrative secretary in the Ministry of Health, confirmed 679 new infections across the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 28,104.
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GUANGZHOU -- Five Philippine crew members of a ship have tested positive for COVID-19 in south China's Guangdong Province, local authorities said Wednesday.
Customs authorities in the city of Zhuhai conducted nucleic acid tests on 20 crew members of a Hong Kong-registered ship docked at a container port in Zhuhai on Sunday, said the city's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control headquarters.
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MOSCOW -- Russia will start the production of its COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks, the country's health minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday.
"First of all, the production facilities in Russia will be oriented towards the domestic market, to meet the need of our citizens," Murashko said during a news conference. Enditem
