People sit by the roadside in Burlingame, California, the United States, July 4, 2020. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)
- U.S. FDA commissioner refuses to offer COVID-19 vaccine timing
- UAE announces broad gov't reshuffle amid COVID-19 pandemic
- Italy eyes measures to tap down COVID-19 hotspots
- Israel in "emergency situation" over coronavirus resurgence: PM
BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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SANTIAGO -- Chile on Sunday reported a total of 295,532 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since the outbreak began.
The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 6,308 after 116 more patients died of the disease in the previous 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said.
Doctors work in the Intensive Care Unit of the INDISA Clinic in Santiago, Chile, June 11, 2020.(INDISA Clinic of Chile/Handout via Xinhua)
WASHINGTON -- Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Stephen Hahn on Sunday refused to offer a timeline for COVID-19 vaccine, which U.S. President Donald Trump suggested could be available "long before the end of the year."
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DUBAI -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a broad government reshuffle on Sunday, merging several ministries and departments and appointing new economy and industry ministers.
The restructuring was announced by UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on his official Twitter account.
The move is part of a drive to create a more agile government amid COVID-19.
People watch a firework show to mark U.S. Independence Day by their cars in New Orleans, Louisiana, the United States, July 4, 2020. (Photo by Lan Wei/Xinhua)
DENVER, the United States -- With record drought conditions and cancellations due to COVID-19, some scattered fireworks filled the skies across COVID-19 beleaguered U.S. West, as most citizens stayed at home and celebrated the Independence Day weekend in an unprecedented, reserved fashion.
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ROME -- Worries of a potential new but limited wave of coronavirus infections are on the rise in Italy, even as official data showed that on a national level the infection rate has slowed to a trickle.
According to data from the Italian Ministry of Health, the country on Sunday reported 192 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The figure, down from 235 a day earlier, marks the 17th consecutive day with fewer than 300 new cases. New cases in Italy peaked at more than 6,000 a day in late March.
A staff member works in a lab of Eva Pharma drugmaker in Giza Province, Egypt, on July 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO -- The total number of COVID-19 cases exceeded 240,000 in Iran on Sunday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's tally of confirmed cases nudged 210,000.
Iran, the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East region, reported 2,560 new cases, raising the total number of infections to 240,438.
The country also reported 163 new deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 11,571. A total of 201,330 coronavirus patients have recovered, with 3,168 still in critical condition.
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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel is "in an emergency situation" over a rapid resurgence of the coronavirus across the country.
The Israeli health ministry reported 788 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, raising the total number in the country to 29,958.
Meanwhile, the death toll increased from 330 to 331, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 84 to 86, out of 333 patients currently hospitalized, according to the ministry.
Medical workers take samples from citizens for COVID-19 test in the central Israeli city of Lod on July 2, 2020.(Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
MUSCAT -- Oman reported 1,072 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number in the country to 46,178.
Meanwhile, 10 new fatalities from the virus were reported, bringing the death toll to 213, while 949 more patients recovered, raising the total recovered cases to 27,917, the health ministry said in a statement.
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ANKARA -- Turkey's COVID-19 cases increased by 1,148 on Sunday, raising the total number in the country to 205,758, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
Meanwhile, 19 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,225, while 1,188 more patients recovered, raising the total recoveries to 180,680, the minister tweeted.
A total of 1,127 patients are being treated at the intensive care units and 392 intubated, he added.
A worker sterilizes a street in the western side of Baghdad, Iraq on June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Sunday said that 2,125 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total infection cases in the country to 60,479.
The ministry also reported 105 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 2,473.
It also said that 1,940 people recovered during the day, the highest single-day recoveries so far, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 33,017.
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BEIJING -- Beijing had reported single-digit COVID-19 cases for seven consecutive days by Saturday, local authorities said Sunday.
The number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reached a peak in Beijing on June 13 and 14 and then started declining in general, local officials told a press briefing.
From June 11 to July 4, the city reported 334 confirmed locally transmitted cases, 47 percent of whom are workers of the Xinfadi food market, according to the press conference. ■
