COVID-19: Iraq records 3,651 new cases; over 51,000 being treated in clinics
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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment on Thursday announced 3,651 new coronavirus infections and 72 death associated with the highly-contagious disease in the previous 24 hours.
The ministry said it had conducted 22,318 tests in that time period and had newly classified nearly 3,800 patients as no longer requiring active treatment.
Since the first known coronavirus case in Iraq was confirmed in February, there have been 219,435 cases recorded in the country, 6,749 of them fatal. Over 51,000 patients are currently being treated in hospitals and medical clinics.
Today's figures for infections and deaths in Iraq do not include the most recent developments in the autonomous Kurdistan Region, which has its own health ministry and typically announces results later in the day. As such, Kurdistan's figures are usually added to the following day's national tally.
Read More: COVID-19: Kurdistan Region announces over 400 new cases, more than 15 deaths
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) opened its main office in the Kurdistan Region to accelerate its operations and monitor the local health situation and also dispatched medical aid to the regional health ministry.
On the following day, the WHO's representative in Iraq, Adham Ismail, announced that the rate of new infections sharply increased since the recent Eid al-Adha holiday, stating that the public must adapt to the virus, making the health regulations and protective measures such as wearing medical masks part of their daily lives.
Read More: COVID-19: Iraq records 72 deaths and 3,837 new infections in 24 hours
The statement was made during a press conference held with local officials in Sulaimani province. Ismail explained, "There is still no treatment for the pandemic," so it was essential that "people's lives should undergo a change and protective mask should be part of every family's life and everyone must commit to staying away from crowded places."
The highly-contagious disease has infected over 24.2 million people worldwide and killed more than 828,000 according to government-reported data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.
Editing by John J. Catherine