COVID-19: Confirmed cases in Kurdistan Region surpass 35,000

The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Health Ministry announced on Friday that nearly 600 new cases of the coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the total confirmed cases of the disease to over 35,000 since the onset of the pandemic.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Health Ministry announced on Friday that nearly 600 new cases of the coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the total confirmed cases of the disease to over 35,000 since the onset of the pandemic.

In a statement, the ministry said that health workers had conducted 5,538 tests across the autonomous region in that period, with 588 returning positive. The highest figures appeared in Duhok province, which recorded 259 cases. Erbil province had142 cases, with 88 cases in Sulaimani and 32 in Halabja.

The Ministry of Health also said that 19 people had died of the virus during the same period: nine in Sulaimani, six in Erbil, and four in Duhok.

The ministry has reported 35,409 cases of the coronavirus across the Kurdistan Region since the pandemic began. Of these, 1,308 people have died; 11,775 remain under treatment at hospitals or clinics; and 22,326 are listed as having recovered.

It is important to note that a patient classified as a “recovery” means they are no longer being actively treated by health professionals, not that they have fully recovered. Increasingly, medical experts are recognizing that some COVID-19 symptoms such as chronic fatigue, often continue for long after an individual’s formal recovery and that various other symptoms including significant lung damage could be permanent.

Lately, the Kurdistan Region has witnessed new surges in coronavirus cases across its provinces, particularly in Duhok and Erbil, which had enjoyed fewer daily infections in past months.

Once the least affected province, Duhok now records high numbers of daily infections. Public health authorities around the world have explained the basic measures that block the spread of the virus: wear a mask; practice social distancing; and avoid crowds.

Yet many people neglect those steps—and then pay the price.

The governor of Dohuk province recently affirmed that “around 90 percent” of the responsibility for preventing the virus’ spread lies with residents. They need to protect themselves, he said, by wearing face masks and reducing physical interactions as much as possible.

Editing by Laurie Mylroie