KUWAIT, March 29 (KUNA) -- Although the situation has remarkably eased in China, where the outbreak began, horribly spiking deaths and infections with the novel coronavirus are still reported worldwide.
The number of cases has upped 670,000 worldwide, of which more than 139,000 people have recovered. More than 27,000 have died so far.
Starting from the Arab world, the Sultanate of Oman on Sunday confirmed 15 more virus cases, raising the total to 167.
The new patients include five related to close contact with previously announced infections and eight cases pertinent to travel, said the Omani Ministry of Health in a press statement.
Lebanon announced 10 additional cases, taking the total number of its infections up to 438, with two deaths from the virus.
In Palestine, the count of COVID-19 infections rose to 106 as a further nine cases were reported on Sunday. Out of the figure, there are six patients of one family.
Iraq said 41 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, with a zero increase in the death toll.
Still in Iraq, Kurdistan Region confirmed another three cases, raising to 128 the count of its total infections, the Ministry of Health said.
Out of the total, two virus patients died and 50 others recovered from the deadly virus after having received necessary medical treatment, the ministry said in a press statement on Sunday.
In Morocco, the count hiked by 35 to 437 cases, while the death toll rose to 26, the Ministry of Health said.
Iran announced 123 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing its the death tally to 2,640, the Health Ministry said.
In addition, 2,901 additional cases have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed infections to 38,309, Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a daily news conference.
Russia reported 270 new cases with eight deaths, while Germany confirmed 4,000 infections in one day, bringing the total to 52,547.
In Spain, 6,549 additional people joined the list of COVID-19 sufferers, taking the total number to 78,797, with 838 fatalities.
Switzerland announced a surge by 1,123 to 14,336 infections with 257 fatalities due to the globally spreading virus, while the count hit 408 with 13 deaths in Hungary.
Meanwhile, 78 more coronavirus patients died in Belgium in the last 24 hours, raising the total toll to 431, Belgian health ministry officials announced Sunday.
In addition, 1,702 new cases were reported raising the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 10,836, it said in a statement.
A total of 867 patients are in intensive care, an increase of 78 patients in the past 24 hours. 1,359 patients have been discharged from hospital and have been declared cured since March 15, an increase of 296 over the past 24 hours.
In Austria, health authorities on Sunday reported 296 more infections with the novel coronavirus (COVID19), taking to 8,291 the total count of confirmed cases.
The new cases came after 46,441 COVID-19 tests were conducted, the Austrian Ministry of Health said in an online statement, adding that the country has now 68 fatalities due to the virus.
Austria's western state of Tyrol bears the brunt of the outbreak in this European country with 1,907 infections, followed by Upper Austria in northern Austria and the capital Vienna with 1,402 and 1,087 cases respectively, the ministry added.
The Austrian government had imposed massive restrictions, including travel bans on virus-hit countries, in a bid to curb the spread of the contagious disease.
Lastly, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health announced Sunday that two more patients have died in the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 22 deaths in Norway from coronavirus. The average age of the dead is 84 years, minimum 62 and maximum 95, it noted in a statement. Some 257 new cases were reported raising the total to 4,102 people with confirmed COVID-19 in Norway.
Furthermore, 2,107 cases were infected in Norway, 1,299 cases were infected abroad and 696 cases are awaiting clarification.
A total of 85,136 people have been reported tested for COVID-19 in Norway. On average, around four percent have tested positive through the outbreak so far.
Designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) a global pandemic, the novel coronavirus COVID-19, which first sickened people in China in December, is thought to have passed from animals to humans. The pandemic has claimed the lives of thousands of people, mostly in Italy, China, Spain, the US, Iran and France. (end) kt.mt