People wearing face masks walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, on July 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
--Iran's COVID-19 cases up to 262,173 with 13,211 deaths;
--Iraq's coronavirus infections surpassed 80,000;
--Saudi Arabia's total infections rose to 237,803;
--Oman's tally of cases is poised to surpass 60,000.
CAIRO, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's total COVID-19 cases on Tuesday crossed a new threshold to hit 262,173, after 2,521 new cases were added. Meanwhile, the pandemic's resurgence also continued in Iraq, where the tally of coronavirus infections surpassed 80,000.
The death toll from the infectious respiratory disease rose to 13,211 in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, after 179 more fatalities were recorded.
So far, a total of 225,270 recoveries from the virus have been reported in Iran, while 3,389 others remain in critical condition.
Saudi Arabia, the worst-hit Arab country, reported 2,692 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections in the kingdom to 237,803.
The coronavirus death toll climbed to 2,283 after 40 more fatalities were added, while the tally of recoveries rose to 177,560 with 7,718 new recoveries recorded in the last 24 hours, the Saudi health ministry said.
In Iraq, which has witnessed a rapid resurgence of the pandemic over the past month, the health ministry announced 2,022 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 81,757.
The ministry reported 95 more deaths, raising the death toll to 3,345. On the same day, 3,784 more people recovered, the highest single-day record so far, taking the total recoveries in Iraq to 50,782.
In a separate statement, the health ministry said it had started to provide its institutions with more than 300 ventilators to enhance their ability to contain the pandemic.
A medical worker collects a swab from a boy for a COVID-19 test in Lod, central Israel, on July 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)
In Israel, the resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic continued as 1,728 new cases were reported on Tuesday, taking the tally of infections to 42,360, including 371 deaths and 19,665 recoveries.
The Israeli cabinet held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the measures to curb the pandemic resurgence, but failed to make any new decisions. The government is reportedly mulling new restrictions to limit the size of gatherings, close schools and synagogues, and impose curfew on weekends.
Oman's Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday 1,389 new COVID-19 cases, as the tally of infections is poised to surpass 60,000.
The new cases, including 339 non-Omanis, took the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 59,568. The death toll in Oman climbed to 273 after 14 new deaths were confirmed.
A hotel employee checks a customer's temperature in Ankara, Turkey, on July 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
Turkey on Tuesday reported 992 new COVID-19 cases, as the country's daily infections have been below 1,000 for consecutive 33 days.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the tally of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed to 214,993, while the death toll increased to 5,402 after 20 more fatalities were added.
In Egypt, the health ministry reported 929 new coronavirus cases, increasing the tally of confirmed cases to 83,930, and 73 new deaths, taking the death toll to 4,008.
Kuwait on Tuesday reported 666 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 56,174 and the death toll to 396.
Kuwaiti Health Ministry said that 9,617 patients are receiving treatment, including 156 in intensive care units, while the total recoveries rose to 46,161.
Algeria reported 527 new cases of COVID-19 infections, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 20,216, including 1,028 deaths and 14,351 recoveries.
In Qatar, the health ministry announced 517 new COVID-19 infections, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 104,533.
The total fatalities from the disease rose to 150 after one more death was reported, while the total recoveries soared to 101,160 after 533 more patients recovered.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday announced 375 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the UAE to 55,573, including 335 fatalities and 46,025 recoveries.
Health workers disinfect a mosque in Sale, Morocco, on July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Chadi)
Morocco reported 161 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total infections in the country to 16,097, including 257 deaths and 13,442 recoveries.
Moroccan Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb urged the citizens to stay alert and increase vigilance as the epidemic is not over yet.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Tuesday by 32 cases to 2,451, while death toll went up by one to 37.
In a possibly positive development, Israeli and U.S. researchers have found that a cholesterol-lowering drug could be effective for COVID-19 treatment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) in Israel reported.
In a study published in the journal Cell Press Sneak Peak, researchers from the HU and New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center found that the cholesterol-lowering drug Fenofibrate (sold as Tricor) showed extremely promising results in preventing the coronavirus from reproduction. ■