Iran to start COVID-19 vaccination; Turkey's tally hits 2,524,786

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that COVID-19 vaccination will begin in Iran in the coming days. Meanwhile, the total number of positive cases in Turkey reached 2,524,786.

Iran on Thursday received the first batch of Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V.

Iran's Health Ministry reported 6,983 daily COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,459,370.

The pandemic has so far claimed 58,412 lives in Iran, up by 76 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Of the newly infected, 498 were hospitalized, said Lari. A total of 1,247,374 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 3,802 remain in intensive care units, she added.

Turkey confirmed 7,897 new COVID-19 cases, including 618 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,524,786, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 108 to 26,685, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,412,505.

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 1,660 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide number of cases to 627,416.

The ministry also reported eight new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,111.

It said that 1,020 cases recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries to 599,167.

A separate statement by the ministry said that the ministry's Public Health Department issued some decisions and precautionary measures to control the spread of the virus, including the closure of malls, restaurants, and other public facilities that violate the health-protective measures.

The health department confirmed that it would take legal measures against private schools that do not abide by the health instructions, the statement said.

It also called on universities and schools not to allow any student or teacher to enter these institutions without wearing masks, according to the statement.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 4,468 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 685,324.

The death toll from the COVID-19 in Israel reached 5,057 after 37 new fatalities were added, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 1,101 to 1,124, out of 1,717 hospitalized patients.

The total recoveries rose to 608,632, with 17,580 newly recovered cases, while the active cases dropped to 71,635.

The number of people vaccinated against the COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 3.41 million, or 36.7 percent of the total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

Morocco reported 587 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 474,966.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 463,966 after 619 new ones were added, the ministry of health said in a statement.

The death toll rose to 8,381 with 13 new fatalities during the last 24 hours, while 594 people are in intensive care units. 463,966 people have been vaccinated so far against COVID-19 in the country. The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.8 percent while the recovery rate is 95.6 percent.

Kuwait reported 846 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 170,036, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry said.

The ministry announced the recovery of 539 more patients, taking the total recoveries in Kuwait to 161,093, while the death toll remained at 964.

Currently, 7,979 coronavirus patients are receiving treatment in Kuwait, while 70 others are in the intensive care units, the ministry said.

The Qatari Health Ministry announced 394 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 153,690.

It said 132 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 146,759, while no new deaths were reported, keeping the tally at 250 for the second consecutive day.

Lebanon registered 2,496 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 317,836, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

The total number of deaths from the virus went up by 67 to 3,562, according to the ministry.

Lebanon will start easing lockdown measures starting on Feb. 8 to enable the economic sector to resume operations amid an unprecedented economic and financial crisis in the country.

Lebanon is expected to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines by mid-February. Enditem