Iraq, Kurdistan coronavirus infections steady, as Iran cases soar

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iranian health authorities reported Saturday over a thousand new cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, as Iraq announced eight more infections.

Saturday’s numbers were the second day of Iran adding over a thousand cases. Along with 1,076 new cases—adding up to a total of 5,823—the authorities said there were another 21 deaths from the virus. Tehran has reported that 145 people have passed away due to the outbreak.

Iran is the Middle Eastern nation primarily affected and where all infections in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are thought to have originated.

Iraqi health authorities reported eight new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 54. Seven of them were in the capital of Baghdad, and the other one was in Najaf. There have been four deaths overall.

On Friday, a hospital in Baghdad said that one person infected with the virus had fully recovered and was being dismissed. That same day, Kirkuk authorities said that three members of a family who had the infection had also recovered.

As the number of cases has increased in Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has added extra steps to its growing list of precautionary measures aimed at curbing the disease from spreading further.

The government decided to shut down all women’s salons, beauty centers, and bars that offer alcohol, starting Sunday until April 1. The authorities also decided to close children’s entertainment areas in all public parks for that same period.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international health emergency. COVID-19, as it is officially called, has spread to over 80 countries, including China – where it originated – the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, Singapore, and India.

According to the most recent WHO figures, there are over 105,918 confirmed cases of coronavirus all around the world, over 80,000 of which are in mainland China. So far, over 3,500 people have died the virus, with nearly 58,500 more recovering.