BAGHDAD/BEIRUT

Iraq and Lebanon reported new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday as it continues to spread throughout the Middle East.

The number of cases of the virus, officially known as COVID-19, rose to eight in Iraq and four in Lebanon.

In Baghdad, a male, 32, who was in Iran a short time ago, was confirmed to have the virus, according to a health ministry spokesman.

And at Rafik Hariri State Hospital in Lebanon, the virus was detected in a Syrian woman in the capital of Beirut.

At least nine Middle East countries have detected patients with the coronavirus.

The global death toll from COVID-19 is around 2,800, and China, where the outbreak originated, is the worst hit, with more than 78,000 cases and over 2,700 fatalities.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur