People wearing face masks walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
--Iran's total COVID-19 cases hit 545,286;
--Iraq's tally rises to 438,265;
--Tunisia to receive vaccine against COVID-19;
--Algeria calls for following preventive measures.
CAIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran reported 5,616 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the total confirmed number in the country to 545,286. Meanwhile, Iraq's tally rose to 438,265.
The pandemic has so far claimed 31,346 lives in Iran, up by 312 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.
A total of 438,709 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 4,861 remain in intensive care units, she added.
Protesters gather outside the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 17, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)
The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,667 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 438,265.
The ministry also reported 52 new deaths and 2,876 more recovered cases, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 10,418 and the total recoveries to 369,010 in the country.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) said in a statement that it is committed to the decisions and recommendations issued by the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, regarding health measures to protect the travelers from the coronavirus.
It is also "committed to implementing all guidelines adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization to provide safe travel for citizens," the statement added.
Saudi Arabia reported 405 new COVID-19 infections and 18 more fatalities, raising the tally of coronavirus cases to 343,373 and the death toll to 5,235.
The total number of recoveries in the kingdom rose by 445 to 329,715, the Saudi Health Ministry said.
People wearing face masks walk on a street in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)
Turkey confirmed 2,013 new COVID-19 patients, raising the total diagnosed patients to 353,426, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.
Meanwhile, 68 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 9,513.
The Omani health ministry announced 451 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 111,484.
The ministry said that 418 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall number of recoveries to 97,367, while 15 others reportedly died, raising the tally to 1,137.
Kuwait reported 813 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 118,531 and the death toll to 721 in the country.
Photo taken on Oct. 14, 2020 shows Tunisians with masks purchasing food at a market during COVID-19 pandemic in Tunis, Tunisia. (Xinhua/Adel Ezzine)
The Kuwaiti health ministry also announced the recovery of 718 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 109,916.
The Qatari health ministry announced 266 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 130,210.
It said 227 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 127,093, while the fatalities increased by one to 225.
Tunisian Minister of Health Faouzi Mehdi announced that Tunisia will be among the first countries to receive the doses of vaccine against COVID-19.
"Tunisia has coordinated with the World Health Organization and donors and has mobilized the necessary funds to receive the vaccine against the coronavirus as soon as it will be placed on the market," Mehdi said during a press conference held in capital Tunis.
According to the minister, "the epidemiological situation in the country is currently critical and all measures taken to contain the pandemic should be rigorously applied."
Tunisian Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that 1,442 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Oct. 20, raising the tally of infections to 45,892 in the North African country.
The death toll from the virus rose by 29 to 740, the ministry said in a statement.
Morocco registered 3,577 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections in the North African country to 182,580, the health ministry said in a statement.
It also reported 52 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the death toll in Morocco to 3,079.
The total recoveries in Morocco increased by 2,796 to 151,634 in the last 24 hours, while 625 patients remained in the intensive care units.
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad on Wednesday called for people to follow preventive measures against the COVID-19 when more than five million students returned to primary schools on the day.
Djerad called on parents of students to "support the educational and administrative staff to preserve the health of the students" after more than seven months of school closure due to the COVID-19.
