40 COVID deaths, 3,443 virus cases recorded Thursday

AMMAN — Forty COVID-19 deaths and 3,443 coronavirus cases, all local infections, were recorded in the Kingdom on Thursday, increasing the caseload to 65,385, the government announced.

The reported fatalities took the Kingdom’s death toll to 740, according to a joint statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The local cases comprised 2,105 infections in Amman, 198 in Irbid, including 86 in Ramtha district. The local cases also included 537 in Zarqa, 44 in Jerash, 10 in Tafileh, 46 in Karak, 145 in Mafraq, 149 in Aqaba, 31 in Maan, 138 in Balqa, 23 in Ajloun, and 17 cases in Madaba.

A total of 176 patients were admitted to hospitals on Thursday, increasing the number of cases receiving treatment in hospitals to 1,260, while the rest of COVID-19 infections are under home-quarantine, the statement said.

A total of 25,558 virus tests were also conducted on Thursday, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered to 1,808,896.

The statement added that the Health Ministry is currently developing a mechanism to calculate the number of daily recoveries to include the cases at home quarantine in addition to those at accredited hospitals, noting that numbers will be released once they are ready. 

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 highlighted the “Aman” (Safety) application for smartphones, which alerts users if they come into contact with a COVID-19 positive person, as well as “Sahtak” (your health) application, which provides users with the latest information and news related to COVID-19, in addition to guidelines and warnings pertaining to the Kingdom’s epidemiological situation.