Iraq: COVID-19 death toll climbs by nearly 70

Health authorities in Iraq on Wednesday reported more infections and fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus.

Health Ministry data showed 68 people died from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide toll to 4,603.

The virus also infected 2,968 more people, bringing the overall count to 118,300, including 83,461 recoveries.

Since originating in China last December, the pandemic has claimed nearly 662,300 lives in 188 countries and regions.

More than 16.82 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 9.8 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.