Kurdistan Region's Sulaimani records case of coronavirus, marking 25 infected in Iraq

On Monday, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Health announced the fifth case of coronavirus in the region, registered in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Monday, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Health announced the fifth case of coronavirus in the region, registered in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province.

Health Minister Saman Barzinji told the media that the KRG’s Health Ministry had conducted tests for 89 individuals suspected of being infected. Among the 89, only five had tested positive, Barzinji said, adding the patients’ medical conditions are stable and the people are being treated in hospital.

According to Barzinji, the Chinese Consulate General in Erbil has promised to provide 200,000 health masks to the KRG Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, Sabah Nasraddin, the head of the Sulaimani Health Directorate, denied rumors of a fatal coronavirus case and said there are no deaths in the province linked to the disease.

“The deceased patient at the Sulaimani hospital was tested for coronavirus, but results came back negative,” Nasraddin said in a statement.

Elsewhere, Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment announced five new cases of the coronavirus across three provinces. Three of the cases are in Baghdad, one in Maysan province, and another one in Najaf.

In a statement, the Iraqi health ministry urged all those who interacted with the five infected individuals to follow health regulations and get tested to ensure the virus does not spread.

The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iraq is now up to 25 (excluding an Iranian student studying in Najaf) since the first case on Feb. 24.

The coronavirus has spread to over 27 countries, including China – where it originated – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, Singapore, and India among others. The World Health Organization has already declared the outbreak an international health emergency.

There are around 80,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus all around the world, over 77,000 of which are in mainland China. So far, over 2,600 people have died suffering from the virus with 27,000 more recovering.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany