People wearing face masks walk beside Chitgar Lake in Tehran, Iran, July 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
-- Iran's coronavirus cases top 250,000, pandemic continues;
-- Saudi Arabia reports 3,183 new cases, 223,327 in total;
-- Egypt sees marked decline in daily infections, deaths;
-- Kuwait lifts lockdown on more areas.
CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Iran surpassed 250,000 on Thursday as the pandemic continued unabated in the country. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) signed a deal to open an office in Turkey's largest city Istanbul.
Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, reported 2,079 new infections and 221 more fatalities from the virus, raising the total COVID-19 cases to 250,458 and the death toll to 12,305.
Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said 212,176 patients have so far recovered from the infectious respiratory disease while 3,324 others remain in critical condition.
Turkey and the WHO signed an agreement on Thursday to open a WHO office in Istanbul for dealing with humanitarian and health emergencies, while jointly fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the region.
People wearing masks walk on a street in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
"We expect WHO to become a more proactive structure in the new period, especially in emergencies," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said at a press conference with WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge.
Turkey reported 1,024 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 209,962. Meanwhile, 18 more people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,300, Koca tweeted.
Saudi Arabia, the hardest-hit Arab country, registered on Thursday 3,183 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases in the kingdom to 223,327.
The total number of recoveries rose to 161,096 in the kingdom, where the death toll soared to 2,100 with the registration of 41 new fatalities.
Egypt confirmed on Thursday 950 new COVID-19 infections and 53 fatalities, bringing the total cases registered in the country to 79,254 and the death toll to 3,617, said the health ministry.
Thursday's number of new infections is the lowest since May 28 when the daily increase started to surpass 1,000, while the single-day new deaths mark the fewest since June 13.
Workers are on their way to workplace in Mahboula area after the lifting of lockdown restrictions, in Ahmadi Governorate, Kuwait, July 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Asad)
In Iraq, the tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 69,612 after 2,170 new infections were added, while the death toll climbed to 2,882 after 103 more fatalities were confirmed.
Falih al-Ziyadi, spokesman of the parliamentary health crisis committee, said in a statement that the committee urged the government to provide help for the health ministry and impose a two-week full curfew as "the best way" to contain the hike in infections.
The Omani health ministry announced on Thursday reported 1,518 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the country to 51,725.
The new cases included 450 non-Omanis, the ministry said in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday announced 532 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 53,577.
A man sells fruits at a local market amid easing of lockdown, in Khartoum, Sudan, on July 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)
UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said 1,288 more patients recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries to 43,570, while the death toll rose by one to 328.
Qatar's Health Ministry announced 557 new cases of coronavirus infection, increasing the total cases in the Gulf state to 102,110.
It added that 1,165 more people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 97,272, while four more people died, raising the total fatalities to 142.
Kuwait on Thursday reported 833 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 52,840 and the death toll to 382.
The Kuwaiti government lifted the two-month lockdown on Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Mahboula, the two expatriates-dominated and heavily populated areas.
Morocco confirmed 308 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally of infections to 15,079, including 242 deaths and 11,447 recoveries.
In Algeria, 460 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, taking the total confirmed cases to 17,804, including 988 deaths and 12,637 recoveries.
Tunisia reported 10 new coronavirus cases, all imported, taking the total number of infections to 1,231, including 50 deaths and 1,055 recoveries.
Tunisian Finance Minister Mohamed Nizar Yaiche said the coronavirus pandemic could cost Tunisia over 1.76 billion U.S. dollars, while calling for implementing "an economic rescue plan aiming at achieving the country's economic recovery."
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,356 on Thursday, as 38 new cases were confirmed.
The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief press statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 619 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10. ■
