Over 3M Covid-19 cases reported in Middle East

The number of reported coronavirus cases has gone over 3 million in the Middle East, an Associated Press count showed on Friday, with the true number likely even higher.

Across the Mideast, there have been over 75,000 deaths attributed to the virus by health authorities, the AP count relying on reported figures by individual countries shows.

There have been 2.5 million recoveries from the virus causing the Covid-19 illness.

In the Mideast, the hardest-hit nation remains Iran, which served as the initial epicenter of the virus in the region. In Iran alone, authorities say there have been over 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with some 477,000 recoveries and 34,000 deaths. Yet even those numbers are believed to be low, Iranian officials say.

In some war-torn nations, it remains difficult to know the scope of the pandemic as well. In Yemen for instance, it’s believed that the vast majority of the country’s cases have gone undiagnosed and untreated, and health workers have said only those who are near death are usually brought to hospitals

Meanwhile, the United States notched a record number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, for the first time topping 90,000 diagnoses in 24 hours, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The country, which has seen a resurgence of its Covid-19 outbreak since mid-October, recorded 91,295 new cases in the 24 hours up to 8:30pm Thursday (0030 GMT Friday), according to a real-time count by the Baltimore-based school. The US has tallied 8.94 million cases of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, the most of any country in the world.

Within the same 24-hour period, 1,021 people died from Covid-19 in the US, bringing the country’s total to 228,625 fatalities. It is the highest recorded toll in the world. The country’s previous record of daily cases was set on Saturday, with 88,973 new infections.

The virus is currently spreading most rampantly in the Midwest.

In northern England, millions more people face stricter coronavirus rules next week, the government said on Friday as it perseveres with a localised response to surging case rates.

From Monday, nearly 2.4 million residents in five districts of West Yorkshire, including in the city of Leeds, will be barred from socialising with other households indoors.

Pubs and bars not serving “substantial meals” must close, alongside casinos, betting shops, soft play facilities and adult gaming centres.