COVID-19: Amid uptick, Kurdistan Region reports over 400 cases a day after new record

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, the Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry announced that it had recorded over 4,00 cases in the past 24 hours along with over ten COVID-19 fatalities.

The new numbers came one day after the region recorded an all-time high daily for new infections.

On Thursday, the Kurdistan Region, for the first time since the outbreak began in March, recorded an all-time high daily infection of 507 cases, along with 14 fatalities from the coronavirus.

This peak occurred as the region has spiked in daily new coronavirus cases, following an easing of the restrictions imposed earlier to curb the spread of the virus.

In addition, the health situation in the Kurdistan Region is affected by the health situation in Iraq, and coronavirus cases are rising rapidly there.

Read More: COVID-19: Iraq records all-time high daily infections of over 3,400

On Friday, the COVID-19 figures in Kurdistan Region returned to 413 new cases during the past 24 hours, as the ministry had conducted 3,384 tests, raising the total number of testing to 222, 078 tests since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to the ministry’s figures: Erbil recorded 259 cases, compared to Sulaimani province with 65 cases; and Duhok province with 50 cases. The Garmiyan Administration reported 22 new infections.

Since early July, COVID-19 cases, in both Erbil and Duhok provinces, have begun rising. Previously, Sulaimani province was the epicenter of the outbreak in the Kurdistan Region.

The total number of individuals infected with the virus since its outbreak in the region is now 16,497, including 623 deaths, with 5,872 individuals currently receiving medical care.

The ministry also announced 12 fatalities, eight of them in Erbil province and four in Sulaimani province.

Following the spike in coronavirus cases – particularly those who had severe infections – the ministry of health on Tuesday evening, urged those who have recovered from the virus to donate their blood plasma to help save others who are now in a serious condition.

“One of the treatment lines for patients with the COVID-19 virus is taking blood plasma of infected people after they have recovered from the virus,” the health ministry’s statement read, calling on them to visit plasma donation clinics 28 days after their infection was confirmed.

Editing by Laurie Mylroie