Sixty-eight COVID-19 deaths and 3,598 virus cases were recorded in the Kingdom on Sunday, increasing the caseload to 214,307, the government announced.

The new fatalities took the Kingdom’s coronavirus death toll to 2,694, according to a joint statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health.

The cases comprised 999 infections in Amman, 989 in Irbid, including 98 in Ramtha District, 270 in Zarqa, 264 in Karak, 246 in Jerash, 230 in Balqa, 218 in Aqaba, 107 in Madaba, 102 in Mafraq, 91 in Maan, including 51 in Petra, 56 in Ajloun and 26 in Tafileh.

The statement added that there are currently 63,041 active COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom.

A total of 204 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals on Sunday, taking the number of patients currently receiving care for COVID-19 in hospitals to 1,941, of which 462 patients are in ICUs.

The statement added that 5,862 recoveries were registered in hospitals and home quarantine, bringing the total number of recoveries to 148,572, with 222 patients leaving hospitals on Sunday.

A total of 20,676 virus tests were also conducted on Sunday, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered since the outbreak of the pandemic to 2,525,992, with the share of tests returning a positive result, known as positive rate, standing at 17.4 per cent, the statement added.

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 called on the public to follow its "I Protect Them” awareness campaign, which aims to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through increasing public commitment to preventive measures to protect individuals and their beloved ones.