People wearing face masks cross a street in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
-- Iran's total COVID-19 cases surpass 550,000;
-- Morocco sees record 4,151 new cases;
-- Jordan reports record 2,821 new infections;
-- Lebanon witnesses highest 16 daily deaths from coronavirus;
CAIRO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's tally of COVID-19 cases surged past 550,000 on Thursday after 5,471 new infections were reported. Meanwhile, Morocco and Jordan witnessed new records in daily COVID-19 infections amid the pandemic resurgence.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, climbed to 550,757, while the death toll rose by 304 to 31,650, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
She added that a total of 442,674 patients in Iran have recovered from the infectious disease so far, while there are currently 4,895 active COVID-19 cases in critical condition.
Morocco reported 4,151 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day increase so far, pushing up the tally of infections in the North African country to 186,731.
The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco surged to 154,481 after 2,847 new ones were added, while the death toll rose by 53 to 3,132, the Moroccan Ministry of Health said.
People wearing face masks are seen on a street in Casablanca, Morocco, on Oct.22, 2020. (Xinhua/Chadi)
Jordan also set a new record in daily COVID-19 infections with 2,821 new cases, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the kingdom to 46,441.
The Jordanian health ministry reported 38 new deaths and 117 more recoveries, taking the death toll to 481 and the tally of recovered patients to 7,340.
Iraq reported 3,899 new COVID-19 cases and 47 more deaths, bringing the nationwide infections to 442,164 and the death toll to 10,465.
The Iraqi health ministry also reported 2,816 more recovered cases, raising the tally of recoveries to 371,826 in the country.
Turkey reported 2,102 new COVID-19 patients on Thursday, raising the total number of diagnosed patients to 355,528, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.
The death toll from the virus rose by 71 to 9,584, while the tally of recoveries increased by 1,581 to 310,027, it added.
Saudi Arabia confirmed 401 new coronavirus cases and 15 more fatalities, pushing up the tally of infections in the kingdom to 343,774 and the total death count to 5,250.
The total number of recoveries increased to 330,181 after 466 new recoveries were confirmed, the Saudi health ministry said.
Lebanon registered 16 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily coronavirus toll so far, bringing the total deaths in the country to 552.
Jordanian security members wearing face masks stand guard at a checkpoint during a curfew in Amman, Jordan, on Oct. 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)
The overall number of infections in Lebanon went up by 1,450 to 67,027, while the tally of recoveries increased to 31,409 with the addition of 939 more recoveries.
Israel reported 912 new cases of COVID-19 infection and 28 more deaths, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 308,247 and the death toll to 2,319.
The tally of recoveries in Israel climbed to 288,337 after 2,862 more patients recovered from the virus.
Kuwait reported 889 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 119,420 and the death toll to 730 in the country.
The Kuwaiti health ministry also announced the recovery of 798 more patients, taking the total recoveries in the country to 110,714.
In Oman, the Omani health ministry announced 353 new COVID-19 infections and 10 more deaths, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 111,837 and the death toll to 1,147.
The total number of the recoveries in Oman climbed by 582 to 97,949, the ministry said in a statement.
Qatar on Thursday announced 252 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 130,462.
A hairdresser serves a customer at a salon in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
The death toll rose by three to 228, while the tally of recoveries in the Gulf state to 127,328, the Qatari health ministry said.
In Tunisia, the governors of the Grand Tunis area decided on Thursday to extend the 15-day curfew imposed since Oct. 8 for two more weeks, as part of the nationwide measures to curb the COVID-19 spread.
The curfew will last until Nov. 6 in the Grand Tunis area, which includes the provinces of Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous and Manouba.
According to the latest data released by the Tunisian Ministry of Health on Wednesday night, 1,442 new COVID-19 cases and 29 more deaths were confirmed in Tunisia, bringing the tally of infections to 45,892 and the death toll to 740. ■
