Coronavirus Deaths, Cases Rise In 6 Arab States

Health authorities in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Monday.

An 81-year-old woman died of the disease in northern Jordan, Muhammad al-Ghazou, the director of King Abdullah University Hospital, said in a statement cited by the official Petra news agency.

The new fatality brought Jordan's death toll from the virus to four and more than 250 infections have been confirmed.

In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said a patient in her 80s lost her life to the disease, taking the country's death toll to 11.

A ministry statement said eight new infections were detected on Monday, taking the total coronavirus cases in Lebanon to 446.

In Iraq, the virus killed two people in the southern provinces of Najaf and Wasit, bringing the overall death toll to 43.

Iraqi health authorities have so far reported 555 coronavirus cases and 143 recoveries.

In Saudi Arabia, the Health Ministry said the total number of coronavirus cases has reached 1,453 with 154 new cases confirmed. The ministry also said 22 people have recovered, rising the number of recoveries to 49.

No deaths have been confirmed in Saudi Arabia, according to the ministry.

Oman's Health Ministry confirmed 12 cases, putting the total at 179, including 29 recovered.

Two deaths were reported in the UAE, raising the death toll to five, according to the Health Ministry.

Forty-one fresh cases were confirmed as well, taking the total to 611. Also, three people recovered, bringing the number of recoveries to 61.

The virus known as COVID-19, which emerged in Wuhan, China last December, has spread to at least 177 countries and regions around the globe.

Global death toll from the virus climbed over 35,000 on Monday, while the cases topped 741,000, according to figures compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

In all, nearly 157,000 people diagnosed with the virus have recovered from the disease.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara. -