FILE- In this April 19, 2020 file photo, people attend evening prayers while maintaining a level of social distancing to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus, at a mosque in Karachi, Pakistan. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File)
The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus went over 50,000 in the Middle East on Thursday as the pandemic continues.
That's according to a count from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region.
Those numbers still may be an undercount, though, as testing in war-torn nations like Libya and Yemen remains extremely limited. The top U.N. official for Libya on Wednesday warned the coronavirus pandemic in the war-ravaged country appears to be 'œspiraling out of control.'ť Yemen's Houthi rebels, who hold parts of the nation, have refused to release virus statistics.
The hardest-hit nation remains Iran, which saw the region's first major outbreak. Over 21,900 people have died there from the virus, with over 380,000 confirmed cases and 328,000 recoveries.
Israel just recorded a record-high 3,000 new cases in a day as the country's coronavirus czar is set to submit a list of more detailed recommended restrictions where infection rates have been highest. Israel earned praise for its early handling of the virus crisis and imposing tight movement restrictions. But since reopening the economy in May, new cases have spiked to record levels and the government has been blamed for mismanaging the resurgence.
Pakistan's numbers have continued to decline - befuddling expectations in mid-June when even the authorities were anticipating a massive increase in cases. In Afghanistan, the government also has opened up its recreational facilities and most businesses. But experts fear the real numbers are likely far higher than officially reported.
The United Arab Emirates, which has embarked on a mass testing campaign, saw its highest daily confirmed new case count in over three months. That came as schools have reopened in the country and Dubai has offered itself as a tourist destination.
FILE - In this April 26, 2020 file photo, a commuter wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, sleeps aboard the driverless Metro as it passes the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 file photo, people wearing protective face masks to help prevent spread of the coronavirus mourn during an annual ceremony commemorating Ashoura in Tehran, Iran. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this March 6, 2020 file photo, Saudi policemen guard the the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this June 3, 2020 file photo, workers make protective face masks to be used to help curb the spread of the coronavirus at a factory in Kabul, Afghanistan. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 file photo, a Palestinian girl wear a face mask during a lockdown imposed following the discovery of locally transmitted coronavirus cases in the Gaza Strip. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this March 30, 2020 file photo, the Ministry of Antiquities lights up the pyramids of Giza in an expression of support for health workers battling the coronavirus outbreak, in Giza, Egypt. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, and Khalid Al-Mishri, Head of the Libyan High Council of State, pose for a photo before their talks, in Tripoli, Libya. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. Those numbers still may be an undercount, though, as testing in war-torn nations like Libya and Yemen remains extremely limited. (Fatih Aktas/Turkish Foreign Ministry via AP, Pool, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 16, 2020 file photo, a patient is comforted by a relative, at Family Medical Center, in Majdalaiya village, north Lebanon. The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus has gone over 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. That's according to a count Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from The Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
The Associated Press