Indonesian policewomen distribute face masks to motorists amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Banda Aceh on Sept1, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

CAIRO / SYDNEY / WELLINGTON / JERUSALEM / BENGALURU / KOLKATA - COVID-19 infections are rising again in parts of the Middle East, posing a fresh threat to the region’s economies already battered by the collapse in oil prices.

Cases have been rising in Iran, which is battling the Middle East’s worst outbreak, with more than half a million people infected so far. Israel was forced to impose a second nationwide lockdown last month, with the move estimated to cost the economy almost US$7.5 billion - about 2 percent of 2019 GDP.

Lower oil prices this year and the disruptions caused by the pandemic have clouded prospects for a rebound. The International Monetary Fund is predicting a contraction of 5 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, with budget deficits in almost all countries in the Persian Gulf set to hit double digits.

The outbreak continues to spread in OPEC’s second-biggest oil producer Iraq. While infections have dropped in top member Saudi Arabia, they rose by a record in the United Arab Emirates this week.

The UAE has processed 11 million tests - more than its population of about 10 million - but testing rates vary. Iran lags its neighbors, with just 4.3 million tests in a population of more than 80 million, and has the highest fatality rate in the region.

Iran 

Iran's Health Ministry reported 4,616 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 517,835.

The pandemic has so far claimed 29,605 lives in Iran, up by 256 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

A total of 418,054 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 4,671 remain in intensive care units, she added.

According to the spokeswoman, 4,426,779 tests for the virus have been carried out in Iran as of Thursday.

Israel

Israel's health ministry reported on Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 298,500, after the addition of 1,848 new cases.

The death toll rose to 2,098, with 43 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 807 to 755, out of 1,368 patients currently hospitalized.

The total number of recoveries reached 251,711, with 5,900 new ones, while active cases dropped to 44,688, the lowest figure since Sept. 18, when a sweeping lockdown was imposed to curb the virus outbreak.

Iranians wear face masks as a COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic precaution, in Iran's capital Tehran on October 14, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announced 501 new cases and 21 more deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 340,590 and the death toll to 5,180.

The kingdom also reported 481 more recovered patients, taking the total recoveries to 326,820.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed by 1,671 to 340,450, Turkish Health Ministry announced.

The death toll from the coronavirus in the country rose to 9,014 after 57 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, and the total recoveries increased to 298,368 with 1,396 more recovered.

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Turkey

More than 40,000 healthcare professionals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Turkey since the pandemic outbreak, while the number of the medical staff who lost their lives from the infection has reached 107, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on the same day.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Thursday announced 200 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 128,803, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Meanwhile, 218 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 125,802, while the fatalities increased by two to 222, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Thursday reported 746 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 114,015 and the death toll to 684 in the country, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,485 patients are receiving treatment, including 133 in ICU, according to the statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 610 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 105,846.

On Sept. 14, the Kuwaiti government decided to postpone the fifth phase of a plan to return to normal until further notice. During the fifth phase, theaters and cinemas will be allowed to reopen and all social events permitted to be held.

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 1,431 new cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 110,039.

The tally of recoveries in the UAE rose to 101,659 after 1,652 more patients have recovered from the virus and the death toll reached 450 with two more deaths.

Oman

The Omani Health Ministry on Thursday announced 520 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 108,296, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

Meanwhile, 321 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall number of recoveries to 94,229, while eight others reportedly died, raising the tally to 1,069, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA.

Palestine

Palestine reported 532 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections in the Palestinian territories to 56,999, including 49,934 recoveries and 463 deaths.

Lebanon

In Lebanon, 20 new deaths from COVID-19 were recorded, the highest daily increase in fatalities in the country, taking the death toll to 499, while the total number of infections went up by 1,377 to 57,246, the Health Ministry reported.

Jordan

In Jordan, 2,423 new COVID-19 cases and 32 more deaths were recorded, increasing the tally of cases to 30,550 and the death toll to 257. The country's total recoveries from the virus increased by 105 to 6,466.

Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike municipal marshals issue a fine to a man for not wearing a face mask amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangalore on Oct 8, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

India

Already on track to overtake the United States with the world’s most novel coronavirus infections, India is bracing for a surge of cases in coming weeks as it heads into its main holiday season with an economy freed of virus restrictions.

The recent experience of the southern state of Kerala, which was praised for its initial handling of the pandemic, indicates how rapidly the situation can worsen. Reported infections there have jumped by five times since it celebrated the 10-day harvest festival of Onam in late August, far outpacing the two-fold increase in cases nationally over that time.

Still, cash-short state governments are reluctant to stop people from venturing out during the money-spinning Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, next week, and Diwali in mid-November.

The holidays are celebrated with family gatherings, bumper buying and the giving of gifts, from sweets and snacks to clothes and cars, generating vital income for many people.

India’s tally of coronavirus infections stood at 7.31 million on Thursday, having risen by 67,708 in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed.

Deaths from COVID-19 infections rose by 680 to 111,266, the ministry said.

Australia

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has issued a renewed call for COVID-19 restrictions to be eased in the state of Victoria although officials in New South Wales (NSW) were flagging new cluster outbreaks for the capital city of Sydney.

On Thursday NSW reported six new locally acquired infections, which followed 11 local transmissions the day before.

Earlier in the week, state officials announced they would relax some rules for Sydneysiders, however the string of new infections saw plans for further changes scrapped.

South Korea

South Korea logged 110 more coronavirus cases in 24 hours, bringing total infections to 24,988, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

Japan

Japanese drugmakers don’t think they can roll out a possible coronavirus vaccine until 2022, NHK reported late Wednesday, citing remarks made by companies at an industry symposium.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 from managed isolation on Thursday and there are no new cases in the community.

The first imported case arrived on Oct. 9 from India via Dubai and was taken to a managed isolation facility in Hamilton. They tested positive as part of routine day 3 testing and have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, according to the Ministry of Health.

The second imported case arrived on Oct. 12 from San Francisco, the United States, and was taken to a managed isolation facility in Christchurch. They were tested after displaying symptoms of COVID-19, said a ministry statement.

The country's total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is 1,520, which is the number reported to the World Health Organization, it said.

New Zealand's total number of active cases is 42 - all imported cases. There are no active community cases of COVID-19, the statement said.

READ MORE: India's COVID-19 graph sees a downward trend

Indonesia

Indonesia overtook the Philippines in its number of coronavirus cases, becoming the country with the largest outbreak in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia added 4,411 confirmed cases in the 24 hours through midday on Oct. 15, bringing its total to 349,160. The Philippines added just 2,261 cases with its total at 348,698.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy has been marking fresh records in the daily increase of virus cases every few weeks, while the Philippines have seen its numbers slowly ease. It was only in August that the smaller country overtook Indonesia to have the region’s worst outbreak as it brought back a second lockdown on its capital.

Meanwhile, Jakarta eased restrictions this week to let people return to offices, restaurants and cinemas, albeit at limited capacity. That’s after bringing back movement limits for a month as the capital’s health system was becoming overwhelmed.

The government reported 112 additional deaths from the disease known as COVID-19, bringing the total to 12,268.

Indonesia’s struggle to contain the spread of coronavirus infections is set to tip the economy into its first annual contraction since the Asian financial crisis. President Joko Widodo‘s administration has set aside nearly US$50 billion toward fighting the pandemic and mitigating its impact, while accelerating the passage of an omnibus law meant to spur investments and create jobs.

Afghanistan

The Public Health Ministry of Afghanistan registered 32 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of the cases to 40,026 since the outbreak of the disease in February in the country, said a statement of the ministry here Thursday.

No death was reported over the period and the number of COVID-19 related deaths now stands at 1,481 in Afghanistan, according to the statement.

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh reported 1,600 new COVID-19 cases and 15 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total cases in the country to 384,559 and the total deaths to 5,608, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed the total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 299,229 including 1,780 new recoveries on Thursday.

According to the official data, 14,104 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

Pakistan 

Pakistan warned of “restrictive actions” because of a spike in coronavirus cases, the highest since August, which may hurt the economy that was showing signs of recovery.

“Time for all of us to take Covid sops seriously again,” Asad Umar, the minister for planning and special initiatives, said in a Twitter post Thursday, while referring to the standard operating procedures of keeping social distancing and wearing masks. The curbs will have “negative effects on people’s livelihoods,” he said without specifying.

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan police on Thursday imposed a curfew in Katunayake in the outskirts of capital Colomo, as the number of COVID-19 cases saw a sudden spike in recent days due to the detection of a new cluster in Minuwangoda, some 24 km away from Colombo.

The police said in a statement that the curfew was imposed in Katunayake from 5:00 am local time Thursday and would remain in place until further notice.

Army commander and head of the National Operation Center for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak, Lt. General Shavendra Silva said that although the curfew was in effect, factories in the Katunayake free trade zone could operate and the employees could use their service identity cards as a curfew license.

The government said that all cinema halls across the island country had been temporarily closed due to a surge in COVID-19 patients following the detection of a new cluster in the outskirts of the capital.

In a statement, the government information department said cinemas would remain closed till Oct. 31.

Malaysia 

Malaysia reported 589 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, raising its cumulative tally of infections to 18,129, the health ministry said.

The Southeast Asian country, which has imposed targeted lockdowns this month to rein in a new surge in infections, also recorded three deaths, bringing total fatalities to 170.
Vietnam

Vietnam reported two new cases of COVID-19 infection on Thursday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,124 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new cases are Vietnamese citizens who have recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, according to the ministry.

The ministry also announced that one more patient has recovered, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,030.

Myanmar

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 32,531 as of Thursday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

A total of 1,026 more COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported in the country.

The death toll of COVID-19 reached 765 with 33 newly reported deaths on Thursday in the country, it said.

According to the ministry's figures, 14,706 patients have been discharged from the hospitals.