BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched an adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19, said a statement of the agency on Friday.

Some COVID-19 patients experience an immune response in which the immune system unleashes excessive amounts of proteins that trigger inflammation. The clinical trial aims to determine if modulating that immune response can reduce the need for ventilators and shorten hospital stays.

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SANTIAGO -- Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris said Friday that 13 regions in the country have shown a decrease in the number of new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past week.

He said in a statement that new cases at the national level fell 7 percent in the past seven days and 9 percent in the past 14 days.

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BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Friday 3,501 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 420,303.

The new cases included 1,140 in the capital Baghdad, 398 in Duhok, 275 in Erbil, 259 in Sulaimaniyah, and 201 in Wasit, the ministry said in a statement.

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BUCHAREST -- The main indicators of Romania's COVID-19 situation hit new highs on Friday, with 4,026 new confirmed cases, 75 more deaths, and 726 critically ill patients in intensive care.

The second wave of the pandemic "will not be an easy one and will not pass quickly," said Raed Arafat, head of the Emergency Situations Department (DSU), on Friday.

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YANGON -- The number of COVID-19 infections has risen to 33,488 in Myanmar with the death toll reaching 799 as of Friday, according to a daily statement from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

It said 1,138 more people tested positive for COVID-19 and 34 new deaths were reported on Friday.

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KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Friday reported 729 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 114,744 and the death toll to 690 in the country, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,559 patients are receiving treatment, including 136 in ICU, according to the statement.

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TEHRAN -- Iran announced on Friday 4,552 new COVID-19 infections confirmed in the past 24 hours, totalling 522,387 since the outbreak of the epidemic.

Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said at her daily briefing that 29,870 people in Iran have lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus so far, up by 265 from a day ago.

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LAGOS -- Nigeria has resumed yellow fever vaccination with safety measures against COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

While combating multiple public health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nigerian government, with the support of the WHO and other partners, has re-launched mass yellow fever vaccination campaigns, the United Nations health agency said in a statement made available to Xinhua on Friday.

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NEW DELHI -- A senior leader from India's main opposition Congress party Ghulam Nabi Azad Friday tested positive for COVID-19.

Azad announced he has contracted the virus, and requested his close contacts to monitor their health and undergo a test.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am in home quarantine. Those who came in contact with me in last few days may kindly follow the protocol," Azad wrote on social media. Enditem

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