On Wednesday, the number of coronavirus cases in Bahrain reached 26 as three new cases were confirmed, Reuters reported. Just one day later, seven other cases were identified, bringing the total number of infected persons to 33.
The ten most recent cases all involve individuals who had arrived at Bahrain International Airport via indirect flights from Iran, which has been linked to all 140 COVID-19 cases reported in the region.
On Tuesday, nine new cases were reportedly detected at Bahrain's airport earlier in the day. The infected patients included both Bahraini and Saudi citizens who had been traveling from Iran via Dubai and Sharjah.
Bahrain has since suspended all flights to and from the latter emirates. The number of reported cases has also increased drastically (more than doubled) since. The Gulf nation has also confirmed that it is conducting all the necessary tests for travelers coming from affected countries in a designated room at the airport.
Officials in the country have said one of the very first infected patients in the country was a school bus driver. As a result, schools have been shut down. The Ministry of Education has said all public and private universities will be closed for two weeks starting Feb. 26.
Generally, several Gulf states have restricted travel to and from Iran in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The UAE, which reported its first coronavirus case on Jan. 29, has suspended all flights to and from Iran, with the exception of Tehran. Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia have suspended flights to the Middle Eastern country as well.
On Monday, several Arab countries recorded their first cases of the novel coronavirus. These include Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. The infected individuals in these countries had all come from Iran. Kuwait's number of infected patients currently stands at 11.
On Tuesday, Algeria confirmed its first case of the coronavirus. The infected person is an Italian man who arrived in the country on Feb. 17. He's been placed in quarantine since.
Last week, Lebanon reported its first case following the arrival of a plane from the Iranian city of Qom, a holy city currently being described as the other center of COVID-19 contagion, second after Wuhan, China (the virus' place of origin). No other cases have been reported in Lebanon since. However, the country's health minister said there were two suspected cases currently being monitored.
The coronavirus has been spreading fast with new cases reported in the Middle East. Though Bahrain only recently recorded its first case, its number of infected patients is double that of the UAE, which was the very first Arab country to report a case. (The latter has reported 13 cases in total since Jan. 29.)
The virus has now infected more than 82,000 globally, killing at least 2,800, according to the latest numbers. Outside of China, Iran has the highest mortality rate. Iran's health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 15 deaths from the new coronavirus amid 95 cases in Iran. Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, has tested positive for the virus.
*Editor's Note: This article has been updated based on the latest numbers revealed on Thursday.