Coronavirus

Palestinians attend prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque amid Israeli virus restrictions

Israeli officials controlling access to the mosque had limited the number of Palestinians able to worship on Friday, citing coronavirus concerns.

Al-Monitor Staff | Palestine | Apr 17, 2021

Palestinians seeking to enter Jerusalem to attend the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque show their COVID-19 vaccination certificates to Israeli security forces at a checkpoint near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, on April 16, 2021.

Surprising economic upside seen for Egypt, Morocco and Iran

Reports this month by the IMF and the US intelligence community also underscore troubling trendlines.

Week in Review | Egypt | Apr 16, 2021

Virus surge threatens northeast Syria camps, Save the Children warns

Authorities this month have confirmed 46 coronavirus cases across three camps hosting displaced people in northeast Syria.

Al-Monitor Staff | Syria | Apr 15, 2021

Iran not backing down in Middle East, US intel report says

The Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign did not stop Tehran's ambitions in the region, ODNI report suggests.

Al-Monitor Staff | Iran | Apr 14, 2021

A man walks past a mural painted on the outer walls of the former US Embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sept. 29, 2020.

Turkey tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Ramadan holy month begins

Responding to a surge in new cases, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions for the first two weeks of Ramadan, saying measures could be extended if current trends continue.

Diego Cupolo | Turkey | Apr 14, 2021

A man wearing a protective face mask and gloves and working behind a plastic shield waits to serve customers on a busy market street on April 09, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. The country announced more than 55,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new daily record since the start of the pandemic. Fears are growing that coronavirus cases will continue to rise as the country prepares to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan starting on April 13.

Northeast Syria imposes 'total lockdown' due to virus

The new measures coincide with Ramadan and follow a relatively high number of new COVID-19 cases in the autonomous region.

Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Apr 12, 2021

A 120-bed ward at a specialized hospital for coronavirus cases inaugurated by the Kurdish Red Crescent around 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside the city of Hasakeh after the first COVID-19 death was reported in the northeastern region, Syria, April 20, 2020.

Iraq, hard hit by COVID-19, sets new daily case record

Iraq broke its record for most coronavirus cases in a day Wednesday and the country is far from having enough vaccine doses for its population of around 40 million.

Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Apr 9, 2021

Iraq's Kurdistan region sticks with AstraZeneca vaccine, reports no issues

Kurdish authorities say they will continue administering the vaccine following the European Union's conclusion that blood clots should be listed among "rare side effects" of the British-Swedish vaccine.

Adam Lucente | Iraq | Apr 9, 2021

Medical staff handle an empty vial of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 at a vaccination center at the Messe trade fair grounds during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic on April 8, 2021 in Erfurt, Germany.

Bitter blame game in Iran amid coronavirus ‘explosion’

Iranian authorities are pointing the finger of blame at one another over the chaotic management of the recent skyrocketing COVID-19 infection rates.

Al-Monitor Staff | Iran | Apr 8, 2021

An Iranian woman wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sits in a bus in the capital Tehran, on Dec. 30, 2020.

Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq imposes partial lockdown amid rising virus cases

The measure follows other anti-virus restrictions in recent days and the start of a vaccination campaign in the autonomous part of northern Iraq.

Al-Monitor Staff | Iraqi-Kurdistan | Apr 7, 2021

Iran shatters daily COVID-19 records

A national vaccination campaign is still at least several weeks away as Iran records its highest-ever daily coronavirus infections.

Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Apr 7, 2021

Iranians wearing face masks walk in a street in the capital Tehran, on March 29, 2021, as rising COVID-19 infections fueling fears of a fourth wave of the pandemic prompted a closure of cinemas.

Alarm in Iran as pandemic numbers shoot back up

Iranian officials are talking about a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic with infections more than doubling since last week and hospitals in Tehran near capacity.

Al-Monitor Staff | Iran | Apr 6, 2021

Iraqi Kurdistan reinstates travel ban

Daily coronavirus cases are approaching historical highs in the autonomous part of northern Iraq as vaccination efforts proceed at a crawl.

Al-Monitor Staff | News Brief | Apr 6, 2021

Russia steps up vaccine diplomacy in Maghreb, North Africa

Russia expands its area of influence in the Maghreb as Tunisia and Algeria receive batches of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, raising questions about Moscow's motives.

Ahmed Nadhif | Tunisia | Apr 1, 2021

This picture taken on March 9, 2021 shows the arrival of a shipment of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 coronavirus vaccines in Tunisia's capital's Tunis-Carthage International Airport.

Yemen gets first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

The AstraZeneca doses arrived in Yemen as Doctors Without Borders warned of a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases.

Al-Monitor Staff | Yemen | Mar 31, 2021

Coronavirus

Palestinians attend prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque amid Israeli virus restrictions

Israeli officials controlling access to the mosque had limited the number of Palestinians able to worship on Friday, citing coronavirus concerns.

Surprising economic upside seen for Egypt, Morocco and Iran

Virus surge threatens northeast Syria camps, Save the Children warns

Iran not backing down in Middle East, US intel report says

Turkey tightens COVID-19 restrictions as Ramadan holy month begins

Northeast Syria imposes 'total lockdown' due to virus

Iraq, hard hit by COVID-19, sets new daily case record

Iraq's Kurdistan region sticks with AstraZeneca vaccine, reports no issues

Bitter blame game in Iran amid coronavirus ‘explosion’

Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq imposes partial lockdown amid rising virus cases

Iran shatters daily COVID-19 records

Alarm in Iran as pandemic numbers shoot back up

Iraqi Kurdistan reinstates travel ban

Russia steps up vaccine diplomacy in Maghreb, North Africa

Yemen gets first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

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