Sixty-eight COVID-19 deaths and 2,373 virus cases were recorded in the Kingdom on Sunday, increasing the caseload to 143,678, the government announced.

The reported fatalities took the Kingdom’s coronavirus death toll to 1,772, according to a joint statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The cases comprised 1,245 infections in Amman, 269 in Irbid, including 27 in Ramtha District, 168 in Zarqa, 139 in Madaba, 118 in Ajloun, 115 in Jerash, 95 in Tafileh, 48 in Karak, 54 in Balqa, 49 in Maan, including one in Petra District, 47 in Aqaba and 26 in Mafraq.

A total of 243 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals on Sunday, taking the number of patients currently receiving care for COVID-19 in hospitals to 2,116, of which 447 patients were in ICUs.

The statement added that 188 recovered patients left hospitals.

A total of 9,583 virus tests were also conducted on Sunday, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered to 2,184,026, with the share of tests returning a positive result, known as positive rate, standing at 24.8 per cent, the statement added.

As all fixed COVID-19 testing centres stopped their operations during the days-long comprehensive lockdown, the number of the coronavirus tests has fallen, the Health Ministry said, noting that the number will get back to its usual levels as of Sunday.

Amid the growing number of local infections, the Ministry of Health has renewed its call on the public to abide by defence orders, as well as to adhere to precautionary measures, mainly wearing face masks and avoiding holding gatherings that exceed 20 people.

The ministry also highlighted the "Aman” (Safety) application for smartphones, which alerts users if they come into contact with a COVID-19 positive person, as well as "Sahtak” (your health) application, which provides users with the latest information and news related to COVID-19, in addition to guidelines and warnings pertaining to the Kingdom’s epidemiological situation.