COVID-19: Iraq announces 1,900 new infections, over 100 more deaths
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment on Tuesday announced 1,900 new coronavirus infections and 104 fatalities resulting from the highly-contagous disease over the past 24 hours.
The ministry in its daily statement mentioned that 12,425 tests had been conducted in that time period, making a total of 544,545 tests carried out since the beginning of outbreaks in Iraq. The statement also outlined the total number of infections has reached 49,109 confirmed cases, 24,760 recoveries, 1,943 deaths, and 22,406 patients remaining in treatment centers.
Today's figures do not include the most recent developments in the Kurdistan Region, which has its own health ministry and typically announces results later in the day. As such, Kurdistan's figures are usually added to the following day's national tally.
Since late May, Iraq has been recording increasingly higher numbers of new coronavirus infections and deaths, even as authorities reintroduced partial curfews in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Amid the crisis, health officials have repeatedly expressed fears of a collapse of the healthcare system.
Read More: COVID-19: Iraq records over 2000 new cases, 100 deaths in single day
Earlier on Tuesday, a shipment consisting of 25 tons of preventive medical equipment from the Republic of Azerbaijan arrived at Baghdad airport to be distributed to the health ministry’s departments throughout several Iraqi provinces. Iraqi authorities have said that the recent spike in cases and fatalities is partially due to shortages of such equipment, including prevention and sterilization supplies and pulmonary resuscitation devices
The World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with Iraq’s Health Ministry launched a four-week campaign on Monday in Baghdad’s high-risk neighbourhoods aimed at increasing awareness among its population of behaviour that will help to control outbreaks.
The effort includes mobilizing 250 volunteers to deliver “critical” messages to nearly six million people in attempts to help curb soaring infection rates, the WHO headquarters in Iraq tweeted.
On June 10, the organization's representative in Iraq stated that the premature resumption of trade with Iran, by both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, had been a significant factor in the dramatic spike in new cases of the deadly disease.
Read More: WHO: 'Breach' of health regulations, trade with Iran behind new COVID-19 spike in Iraq, Kurdistan
Editing by John J. Catherine