COVID-19: Iraq records 87 deaths, nearly 1,650 new cases in a single day

A ministry statement said that health workers had carried out 10,027 tests in the past 24 hours,

Mustafa Shilani 2020/06/21 16:54

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Health Ministry on Sunday announced 87 deaths and about 1,650 new coronavirus infections across the country in the past 24 hours, as the number of new cases and deaths due to the highly contagious disease continues to trend upward.

A ministry statement said that health workers had carried out 10,027 tests in the past 24 hours, out of which 1,646 came back positive. According to official data, Iraq has conducted a total of 445,241 coronavirus examinations.

The statement also detailed that the total number of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic is now 30,868, including 1,100 deaths, 13,935 recoveries, and 15,833 active cases. There are also reportedly 224 patients receiving intensive care.

The Parliamentary Health and Environment Committee on Sunday called on the Iraqi public, religious leaders, and civil society to "support the efforts of health institutions in their battle against the pandemic."

"The committee follows the situation with great concern," read a statement from the committee.

On Sunday afternoon Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Transport and Communications announced that the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority decided to extend the flight ban period until July 1. The order excludes military, red cross, humanitarian, emergency, and cargo flights.

Editing by Khrush Najari