UPDATE WITH FIGURES BY NEW COUNTRIES; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE
By Khalid Mejdoup, Wassim Seifeddine, Said Ibicioglu, Serdar Bıtmez, Mehmet Nuri Ucar and Cagri Kosak
ISTANBUL/ KUWAIT/ DOHA / RABAT, Morocco / BEIRUT (AA) - Health authorities in several Arab countries confirmed Friday new deaths and additional cases of the novel coronavirus.
In Morocco, 124 new cases were registered, bringing the total to 3,692. Officials said 155 people have died of the virus, while 478 patients have recovered.
Lebanon's Health Ministry registered eight new cases, pushing the tally to 696. It said 22 people have lost their lives and 140 have recovered.
Kuwait’s officials announced 215 new cases, bringing the total to 2,614. The death toll there has now reached 15 with 613 recoveries.
Qatar reported 761 new cases, bringing the total to 8,525. As many as 10 people have died while 809 patients have recovered.
A statement from Saudi Arabia said six deaths was reported along with 1,172 new infections, bringing its COVID-19 death toll to 127 and infections to 15,102.
The Health Ministry in the United Arab Emirates reported eight deaths from the virus and 525 new infections.
It said the death toll stands at 64, while infections jumped to 9,281.
After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world.
The pandemic has killed more than 195,700 people, with total infections nearing 2.8 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University. An excess of 781,100 people have recovered worldwide.
* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat and Zehra Nur Duz