Coronavirus Watch in Mideast: Iran touts 'promisin' results in producing anti-coronavirus vaccine; Saudi Arabia's COVID-19 cases exceed 190,000

Iran reported 2,457 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases to 227,622.

Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said 147 people died overnight, taking the death toll from the virus to 10,817.

So far, 188,758 people have recovered and 3,049 remain in critical condition, she said.

Iran has taken "effective steps" in producing a vaccine for novel coronavirus disease, Iran's Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki said.

"The results are very much promising. Tests in animal model were successful. Clinical trials on human will be carried out soon," said Namaki.

Saudi Arabia, which has the highest daily coronavirus infections in the past month, reported 4,387 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of the confirmed cases to 190,823.

The number of recoveries rose to 130,766 after 3,648 more were added, while 50 new fatalities were reported, raising the death toll to 1,649.

Turkey's COVID-19 cases increased by 1,293 on Tuesday, as the total cases climbed to 199,906, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, 16 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,131, the minister tweeted. The total number of recoveries rose to 173,111 after 1,302 new recoveries were added.

Iraq, which has witnessed a rapid resurgence of the pandemic, recorded 1,958 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 49,109.

Iraqi Health Ministry also confirmed 104 more deaths from the infectious virus, raising the death toll to 1,943, while 1,786 more patients recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 24,760.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety called on senior students in all medicine colleges across Iraq to volunteer to help the medical workers in fighting the pandemic.

Israel registered 803 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day surge so far, raising the tally to 25,244, the state's Ministry of Health said.

The number of death cases rose from 319 to 320, while the number of recoveries rose to 17,341, with 123 new recoveries in Israel.

Oman reported 1,010 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections in the country to 40,070.

The tally of recoveries in Oman rose to 23,425 after 1,003 more patients recovered from the virus, while the death toll climbed to 176 after seven more deaths were confirmed.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 421 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 48,667.

UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said that 490 more patients fully recovered from the virus, taking the tally of the recoveries to 37,566. It also confirmed one more death, raising the country's death toll to 315.

Qatar's Health Ministry on Tuesday announced 982 new COVID-19 cases, increasing the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 96,088.

Meanwhile, 1,394 people recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 81,564, while the death toll remained unchanged at 113.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 33 to 1,778, while the death toll remained unchanged at 34.

Lebanese Health Ministry said that all passengers must register on its website before taking a PCR test for COVID-19 at the airport and spending several days in quarantine after arrival.

Kuwait reported 671 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 46,195 and the death toll to 354.

Kuwait started on Tuesday the second phase of restoring normal life, which will last three weeks.

During the phase, public and private sectors will resume work with less than 30 percent capacity, in addition to the resumption of operation in shopping malls, financial sector, construction sector, retail shops, parks, and pick-ups from restaurants and cafes.

Kuwaiti Civil Aviation Administration announced that it will fully resume commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport on August 1, 2021.

Palestine on Tuesday announced 322 new COVID-19 cases in the West Bank, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections to 2,765.

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the death toll climbed to 10 after two more fatalities were added.

Oman reported 1,010 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections to 40,070.

The tally of recoveries in Oman rose to 23,425 after 1,003 more patients recovered from the virus, while the death toll climbed to 176 after seven more deaths were confirmed.

Morocco reported 243 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 12,533, while the death toll increased by three to 228.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,158 on Tuesday, as 30 new cases were confirmed. The death toll rose to 312, while the number of recoveries increased to 488.