55 COVID deaths, 4,029 infections recorded Thursday

AMMAN — Fifty-five COVID-19 deaths and 4,029 virus cases were recorded in the Kingdom on Thursday, increasing the caseload to 231,237, the government announced.

The new fatalities took the Kingdom’s coronavirus death toll to 2,909, according to a joint statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The cases comprised 1,376 infections in Amman, 904 in Irbid, including 51 in Ramtha district, 177 in Zarqa, 211 in Karak, 226 in Jerash, 203 in Balqa, 121 in Aqaba, 124 in Madaba, 270 in Mafraq, 51 in Maan, including 24 in Petra, 266 in Ajloun and 100 in Tafileh.

The statement added that there are currently 54,959 active COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom.

A total of 198 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals on Thursday, taking the number of patients currently receiving treatment for COVID-19 in hospitals to 1,801, of which 426 patients are in ICUs.

The statement added that 4,940 recoveries were registered in hospitals and home quarantine on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 173,369.

A total of 25,260 virus tests were also conducted on Thursday, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered since the outbreak of the pandemic to 2,627,156, with the share of tests returning a positive result, known as positive rate, standing at 15.9 per cent, the statement added.

Amid the growing number of local infections, the Ministry of Health has renewed its call on the public to abide by defence orders, as well as to adhere to precautionary measures, mainly wearing face masks and avoiding holding gatherings that exceed 20 people.

The ministry also called on the public to follow its “I Protect Them” awareness campaign, which aims to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through increasing public commitment to preventive measures to protect individuals and their beloved ones.