Kurdistan reports only 25 active coronavirus cases, 5 days with no new infections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – According to official numbers, the Kurdistan Region only has 25 active coronavirus cases remaining, all of whom are hospitalized, as a fifth day passed with the authorities reporting no new cases of the highly-contagious disease across the region.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Health Ministry said in a statement that, over the preceding 24 hours, health authorities had conducted 1,123 tests, with 445 being carried out in Erbil province (including 3 in Soran), 217 in Sulaimani, 45 in Duhok, and seven in Halabja.

The statement prominently highlighted that “no new infections were recorded in the Kurdistan Region.”

One of the pages dedicated to disseminating coronavirus-related information on the KRG's official website said that the number of confirmed cases remains at 337, including four deaths and 308 recoveries. The rest, just 25 in total it said, “are under medical surveillance.” 

While this number continues to decline, senior officials have stressed that the virus still poses a threat to public health, potentially resulting in new outbreaks should citizens falter in observing measures to limit transmission.

During a virtual Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers meeting, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani relayed the same concerns. He affirmed that the government’s “proactive measures to fight the coronavirus have worked,” but warned that the “coronavirus threat” remains.

Read More: As infections fall, Kurdistan PM stresses COVID-19 restrictions still crucial

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is working to slowly ease the restriction put in place since early March to curb the spread of the disease. Prime Minister Barzani stated, however, that “key mitigation measures remain in place to prevent a rebound of the disease.”

The highly-contagious disease has infected over 2.6 million people worldwide and killed close to 183,000, according to the latest government-reported data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting

Editing by John J. Catherine