COVID-19: Iraq's fatalities approach 10,000

Iraqi health officials announced on Friday that 3,214 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, roughly 300 less than the previous day but still part of a spike of thousands daily that has sustained for weeks.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi health officials announced on Friday that 3,214 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, roughly 300 less than the previous day but still part of a spike of thousands daily that has sustained for weeks. 

The Ministry of Health and Environment also reported 79 deaths in the previous 24 hours, making the total fatalities from the virus to date at nearly 10,000.

This comes one day after a lawmaker who sits on the Health and Environment Committee of the national parliament suggested that a comprehensive curfew could soon be reimposed due to the high infection rate "to prevent things from getting out of control." 

Read More: COVID-19: Iraqi official warns that full curfew could be reimposed as spike in cases continues

"The advent of winter in the coming days is expected to witness a sharp increase in the number of daily coronavirus infections throughout Iraq," said Rezan Diler said in a statement to local media outlets.

Since the first case of coronavirus in Iraq was confirmed in February, 397,780 patients are known to have contracted it.

Iraq in critical situation

This comes at the end of a week when tens of thousands of Shia Muslim pilgrims flocked to the southern city of Karbala to mark the end of the 40-day-long annual observance known as Arbaeen, despite repeated warnings from health professionals that such mass gatherings can drastically increase the chance of mass coronavirus outbreaks.

Read More: PHOTOS: Shias mark Arbaeen amid rising COVID-19 pandemic

Infections began to gradually rise in Iraq about six months ago when authorities relaxed the restrictions imposed to prevent their spread. Officials have voiced fears that the health system could collapse, given that the country has limited health infrastructure due to decades of war, instability, and institutional corruption.

The coronavirus has infected more than 36 million people worldwide and killed over one million, according to Johns Hopkins University’s database. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting. 

Editing by John J. Catherine