A vendor wearing a face mask waits for customers at Al-Mubarakiya market in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Sept. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Asad)
--Iran's cases reach 425,481 with 24,478 deaths;
--Iraq reports 4,484 highest daily new recoveries;
--Israel's total infections exceed 190,000;
--Kuwait's total cases near 100,000.
CAIRO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surged to 425,481 in Iran on Monday. Meanwhile, Iraq recorded 4,484 new recovered cases, the highest in a single day since the outbreak of the disease.
Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East region, reported 3,341 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 425,481.
A boy wearing a face mask walks on a bridge in Tonekabon, Iran, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
The pandemic has so far claimed 24,478 lives in Iran, up by 177 in the past 24 hours. A total of 361,523 coronavirus patients have recovered, with 3,912 still in critical condition.
In the mean time, 3,821 new COVID-19 cases were detected in Iraq during the past 24 hours, bringing the total nationwide infections to 322,856.
The death toll from the coronavirus in Iraq rose to 8,625 after 70 fatalities were added.
The country also reported 4,484 more patients recovered from COVID-19 during the day, the highest in a single day since the outbreak of the disease, raising the tally of recoveries to 258,075.
Saudi Arabia announced 492 new cases and 27 more deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 330,246 and the death toll to 4,512.
The kingdom also reported 1,060 more recovered patients, taking the total recoveries to 311,499.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed by 1,743 to 304,610, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
The death toll from the coronavirus in the country rose to 7,574 after 68 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, Koca said, adding that the total recoveries increased to 268,435.
In Qatar, 228 new cases of coronavirus infections were detected, increasing the total number to 123,604, including 211 deaths and 120,540 recoveries.
In Israel, 3,027 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, taking the tally of coronavirus infections to 190,929.
The death toll of the virus in Israel increased to 1,273 while the recoveries rose to 136,780.
Passengers wearing face masks are seen at the departure hall of Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)
It is worth noting that the active cases in the country reached a record high of 52,876.
The Israeli Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency in all hospitals on Monday after the recent abnormal rise in COVID-19 morbidity and overload of the wards.
In the mean time, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered military preparations for the opening of a field hospital after two hospitals announced their inability to admit more COVID-19 patients.
In Morocco, the tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 103,119 after 1,376 new cases were added, which included 1,855 fatalities and 84,158 recoveries.
Kuwait reported 530 new cases, bringing the country's total number of infections to 99,964, of whom 585 have died and 90,930 recovered.
Oman's Ministry of Health announced 576 new cases of infections, raising the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 94,051, including 853 deaths and 85,781 recoveries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 679 new cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 85,595.
The tally of recoveries in the UAE rose to 75,086 after 813 more patients have recovered from the virus and the death toll reached 405 with one more death.
Algerians wearing face masks are seen in a mosque in Algiers, Algeria, Aug. 15, 2020. (Xinhua)
In Algeria, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 50,023 after 197 new cases were added in the past 24 hours, while seven new fatalities were reported, bringing the death toll to 1,679.
Meanwhile, 133 more patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the total number of recoveries to 35,180.
In Lebanon, the number of COVID-19 infections increased by 684 to 29,986, while the death toll went up 10 to 307.
Libya on Monday reported 847 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the country to 28,796, including 15,384 recoveries and 450 deaths.
Tunisia recorded 996 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10,732, including 159 fatalities.
Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi recently warned that new COVID-19 cases in the country were on the rise and he decided on Monday during a meeting to step up security campaigns aimed at enforcing the preventive measures against the coronavirus. ■
