COVID-19: Kurdistan Region records over 560 new cases, 16 deaths

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health on Wednesday announced another 566 new coronavirus cases along with 16 fatalities as the result of COVID-19 complications in the past 24 hours amid a continued spike in daily infections in the region.

The ministry said in a statement that health workers had conducted 2,500 tests in the past 24 hours, 566 of which returned positive. Of the new cases, 389 were in Erbil province, 54 in Sulaimani, and 69 in Duhok.

The ministry also announced 16 deaths during the same period, raising the total death count to 686.

According to official data, the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic has reached 18,766, of which 10,480 patients have recovered.

KRG Health Ministry’s warning

On Tuesday afternoon, the Kurdistan Region’s Health Minister, Saman Barzinji, warned in a press conference that “if health measures are not observed,” more deaths would be recorded in the future.

The minister’s remarks came during a press conference in which he announced that the Kurdistan Region’s government would cover the costs for treatment for those patients who are admitted to private hospitals in case public hospitals cannot accommodate them.

The number of coronavirus cases in the Kurdistan Region continues to surge, following a renewed uptick in late May as the government relaxed lockdown measures – amid growing financial difficulties – and resumed trade with Iran, the original epicenter of the virus and from where the disease spread to regional states.

The region’s health minister also said they would work on increasing its daily testing to detect more coronavirus cases.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Kurdistan Region has conducted 234,747 tests.

Erbil province has recently recorded an increase in cases.

The government and local authorities have repeatedly called on the public to adhere to health guidelines that limit the spread of the virus.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany