Middle Eastern countries are not as hard-hit as those in the West, but a recent surge in new coronavirus cases in several regions has raised concerns about health authorities.
Lebanon Could Shut Down Amid Spike in Cases
Lebanon's caretaker health minister, Hamad Hassan, on Monday said the country is declaring "a state of general alert," urging the government to make a "brave decision to close [the country] for two weeks."
The declaration came on the same day Lebanon logged a record-high increase of 456 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. The national infection toll now stands at 9,337.
Aside from a surging number of infections in the country, the government has also been in turmoil since a warehouse explosion on August 4 killed at least 178 people and injured over 6,000 others.
Egypt Sees Decline in Daily Infections
While Lebanon saw a sharp spike in new infections, Egypt has been recording a steady decline in daily cases over the past several weeks.
On Monday, the Egyptian health ministry reported an additional 115 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the national infection toll to 96,590. There were also 908 recoveries.
The Egyptian government has been attempting to control transmissions brought about by infected patients with travel histories abroad.
As part of the government's efforts in preventing imported cases, all arrivals have been required to present a recent PRC test proving that they are not infected with COVID-19. Arrivals with nothing to present to airport officials will be banned from entering the country.
UAE Nears 6 Million in Conducted COVID-19 Tests
The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Health and Prevention reported on Monday that there were over 71,000 coronavirus tests conducted in the last 24 hours. The new tests bring the UAE closer to six million tests completed.
Also on Monday, the country reported an additional 229 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the national infection toll to 64,541. The death toll stands at 364.
The news came following a deal between the UAE's APEX National Investment firm and Israel's Tera Group for a collaborative project on research and development related to the novel coronavirus.
Almost 700 Deaths in Israel
With six new deaths linked to COVID-19 on Monday, Israel now has a total of 698 fatalities linked to the virus. The Israeli Health Ministry also reported 23,399 active cases as of Monday.
So far, the country has 410 patients who are in serious condition due to complications from the novel coronavirus. Over 100 people are in respiratory care, while there were an additional 1,597 new confirmed coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours.
Since the pandemic started, Israel has logged a total of 95,264 confirmed COVID-19 infections.
Iraq Daily Infections Decline
Iraq's daily log of 3,202 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday indicated a downtrend in daily infections, the Iraqi Health Ministry revealed.
The national infection toll has now reached 180,133, while the death toll was raised to 5,954 following 94 fatalities over the past 24 hours.
As part of the efforts to contain COVID-19 in Iraq, the health ministry said it will establish a center dedicated to treating patients with blood-related diseases and those infected with the novel coronavirus.
