KRG announces 9 new COVID-19 cases; Iraq's total tops 500

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed nine more cases of the highly-contagious COVID-19, as Iraq-wide infections topped 500.

The regional ministry said in a statement that over the past 24 hours, it had tested 521 suspected carriers of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. Out of the total, 407 were residents of Erbil, 97 of Sulaimani and Halabja, and 17 of Duhok.

The results for nine persons came back as positive, eight of whom were in Erbil Province, and one in Halabja Province.

According to the Health Ministry, there are a total of 122 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region, including two deaths and 51 recoveries.

At the same time, Iraq announced 48 new coronavirus infections, including those recorded in the Kurdistan Region the previous day.

A federal Health Ministry statement mentioned that the total tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached 506, with a total of 42 deaths and 131 recoveries.

Two out of the nine cases reported by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health officials were part of the latest figures in the Iraqi statement, meaning the total number of infected persons is 513.

To curb the further spread of the virus, the Kurdistan Region has enacted multiple strict precautionary measures, including closing schools, declaring an extended public holiday for government employees, canceling all religious services and other public gatherings, and curfews across the region. The regional interior minister has emphasized that curfews “will be extended if needed.”

The Iraqi government has imposed similar anti-coronavirus regulations. On Thursday, Iraqi officials extended the countrywide curfew until April 11.

Read More: Iraq extends coronavirus curfew as cases continue to rise

Over 620,000 people are confirmed to have contracted the virus in over 180 countries worldwide, according to data compiled by WHO. More than 28,000 have died, as per official numbers reported by governments around the world, though the rate could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.

Editing by Kosar Nawzad