UAE declares 85 new cases

France pulls Iraq forces over virus

ABU DHABI, March 26, (Agencies): The United Arab Emirates declared on Wednesday registering a batch of 85 people who contracted the coronavirus (COVID-19) thus the whole number of infections in the country rose to 333.

The health ministry said in a statement seven patients were cured of the pandemic, bringing total number of those relieved of the infection to 52. It indicated that some of the cases were in close contact with infected persons and others who had travelled abroad.

Among the infection cases, there were seven UAE citizens. Abu Dhabi declared death of two expatriates, an Arab and an Asian, by the disease last Friday.

France is pulling out its military forces from Iraq as French forces are increasingly called upon to help fight the coronavirus at home.

The chief of staff of the French armed forces said in a statement Wednesday night that France is suspending its anti-terrorism training operations in Iraq and also bringing home its Iraqbased troops involved in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.

France, which has suffered repeated attacks on its soil by Islamic State extremists, is maintaining military operations in Kuwait and Qatar, and air force missions over Syria.

The announcement came just after French President Emmanuel Macron launched a special military operation to support efforts to treat people infected with the new virus.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday declared second death caused by the novel coronavirus and reported 133 new infection cases, increasing the infections’ toll to 900.

Nationality of the new coronavirus related fatality was not declared during a news conference by the official spokesman of the Saudi Ministry of Health Dr Mohammad Al-Abdulali, with his peer from the Ministry of Interior. A single coronavirus patient has recovered bringing to the total number of those who overcame the disease to 29.

Elaborating, he said 93 infection cases were recorded in Riyadh, 13 in Dammam, ten in Jeddah, six in Madinah, an equal number in Qatif, five in Khobar, four Nejran, two in Abha, a couple in Araar, a single case in each of Al-Dhahran and Al-Jubail.

Bahrain

Twenty-seven cases of the coronavirus were discovered in the Kingdom of Bahrain Wednesday, bringing the total number to 226.

A statement by the Health Ministry indicated that from the total of infections, only two cases were in the ICU. Bahrain announced the third case of death from coronavirus belonging to a 65-year-old man.

Iran

Iran confirmed 157 coronavirus death cases and 2,389 infections in the past 24 hours, said the Iranian health ministry Thursday.

According to the new data, the total number of deaths due to coronavirus in Iran increased to 2,234 people, while infections jumped to 29,406, head of the press center at the Iranian Ministry of Health Kianoush Jahanpour stated, add

Qatar

Qatar declared on Wednesday a batch of 11 people were diagnosed with coronavirus bringing total number of patients suffering from the pandemic to 537.

The official Qatari news agency reported that some of the new cases were of persons who have recently come to the country and others who have been in close contact with infected persons – including five Qataris.

Turkey

Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday 15 people died from the novel coronavirus and 561 others tested positive for it in the past 24 hours.

The figures brought Turkey’s death toll and infections to 59 and 2,433 respectively, he said a statement posted to Twitter.

“A total of 5,035 coronavirus tests have been conducted on people suspected of contracting the virus, and 561 tested positive,” Turkey’s Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing the statement.

Egypt

Egypt, on Wednesday, reported 40 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the tally to 442. The number of deaths stood at 21.

The Health Ministry said that there were 93 cases of recovery in Egypt.

In Iraq, two deaths were reported in the country with 30 new infections.

Palestine

Palestinian government spokesman said Thursday that the total number of people infected with the coronavirus has risen to 73 cases, after nine new cases were confirmed.

The Spokesman, Ibrahim Melhem, said in a press statement, that the new cases included two cases in the village of (Badou) northwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank, and seven cases in Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that the medical teams are conducting lab tests on a number of family members in the town, adding that they are five brothers who work in Israeli occupied territories, who also suspected of having the virus.

Gaza

Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza Strip said Wednesday seven people tested positive for coronavirus.

Seven security men were infected with the virus after coming into close contact with previously-infected persons, the ministry said in a statement.

Kurdistan

The Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region affirmed Thursday, that the number of the coronavirus infections has surged to 103 after recording four new cases.

In a statement, the ministry noted that the new cases for one woman and two men, adding that the patients were in contact with previous infected people.

Morocco

Number of newly discovered coronavirus cases in Morocco, Wednesday, jumped by 55 cases, bringing the total to 225.

Health authorities in Morocco said that one death was reported, putting the tally at six, while recoveries were at seven.

World leaders

Leaders of the world’s most powerful economies were to convene virtually on Thursday to try and coordinate a response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, which has shuttered businesses and forced well over a quarter of the world’s population into home isolation.

The meeting for the Group of 20 nations will be chaired by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. The Kingdom, which is presiding over the G20 this year, said it organized the extraordinary meeting to advance global efforts to tackle the pandemic and its economic implications as people lose their incomes amid closures, curfews and lockdowns.