COVID-19: Kurdistan Region reports record 166 new cases, seven deaths amid continued spike

Of the new infections, Sulaimani province recorded the highest number, with 127 new cases.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Monday, the Kurdistan Region’s health ministry published its daily COVID-19 update, confirming that it had registered a new record of 166 cases—out of 2,267 tests—over the past 24 hours, while seven people had died.

Of the new infections, Sulaimani province recorded the highest number, with 127 new cases. There were 32 cases in Erbil province, and five in Halabja province, while Duhok had only two cases.

Out of the seven deaths, six were recorded in Sulaimani, and the other in Erbil province, according to the health ministry’s update.

A total of 2,473 cases have been confirmed since the disease first appeared in the Kurdistan Region, including 54 deaths, 1,036 recoveries, and 1,383 active cases remaining, the statement added.

Situation in Sulaimani Province

In a press briefing on Thursday, Sulaimani’s top health official, Dr. Sabah Hawrami, urged the public again to adhere to health regulations because “doctors and hospital capacities are limited,” otherwise “the situation might get worse.”

He added that because of a limited supply of ventilators and other medical equipment, coronavirus patients are at higher risk of dying.

“We have hospitals that are made for seven patients, but are now providing oxygenation administration for 30 persons,” Hawrami said. “I will not hide it from you, saving all the patients might be difficult due to overloading.”

The coronavirus crisis is particularly acute in Sulaimani province, because it borders Iran, the original epicenter of the virus in the Middle East and which is now experiencing a second spike. It follows a call from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Mustafa al-Kadhimi, soon after he became Iraqi Prime Minister. In their discussion, Kadhimi agreed to Rouhani’s request to re-open the border, which was done on May 18.

The incubation period for the virus is two weeks. And two weeks after the border with Iran was re-opened, cases of coronavirus began rising in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Read More: COVID-19 spikes again in Iran, with regional implications

On Wednesday, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq, Dr. Adham Ismail, explained to Kurdistan 24 that the pre-mature resumption of trade with neighboring Iran, by both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, had been a major factor in the dramatic spike in new cases of the deadly disease.

Read More: WHO: 'Breach' of health regulations, trade with Iran behind new COVID-19 spike in Iraq, Kurdistan

Need for Public to Adhere to Health Protocols

The day before, on Tuesday, KRG Health Minister Saman Barzinjy held a meeting with public health experts and doctors throughout the Kurdistan Region to discuss a new plan to combat the spread of the disease.

In a press conference afterwards, the minister said, “75 percent of the confirmed cases belong to the second peak,” adding that “it is not too late yet to prevent further spread of the virus.”

Barzinjy reiterated that residents need to protect themselves from the virus by strictly adhering to the safety measures that the KRG has prescribed. He stressed that frequent hand washing and wearing masks are simple actions, but they can play an effective role in reducing the risk of infection.

Editing by Laurie Mylroie