Kurdistan Region records 195 new COVID-19 cases ahead of Newroz celebrations
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region on Saturday reported 195 new cases of COVID-19 and six additional deaths as the Region prepared to celebrate the Newroz holiday.
Health authorities in the Region said there were 46 new cases in Erbil, 12 in Sulaimani and 137 in Duhok provinces as the Region continues to face the rapidly spreading UK variant of the novel coronavirus.
The total number of infections since the pandemic began in early March 2020 has risen to 115,210, with 3,591 deaths recorded.
In a message congratulating the Kurdish people on the new year holiday, UK Consul-General James Thornton urged residents of the Kurdistan Region to practice social distancing, mask wearing and other health measures during Newroz celebrations.
UK Consul General in Erbil @UKThornton wishes the people of the Kurdistan Region a happy #Nowruz and urges residents adhere to COVID-19 health regulations during the new year holiday pic.twitter.com/glHMmMz3tE
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) March 20, 2021
Health officials say that nearly 107,000 people have recovered from the highly contagious disease, a categorization that indicates a person is no longer being actively treated by health professionals, not that they have fully recovered from the infection.
Increasingly, medical experts recognize that COVID-19 symptoms, some of them serious, can continue long after a person formally recovers, and that various effects such as significant lung damage could be permanent.
Health Ministry Warnings over UK Variant
The health ministry on Wednesday warned that the UK variant of coronavirus is spreading quickly across the Region, putting a burden on the hospitals and other health facilities.
In late February, the Region’s health authorities confirmed five cases of the UK coronavirus variant. One day later, 14 new cases of the same version were detected, including seven recorded in tourists.
Read More: What you should know about the UK COVID-19 variant in the Kurdistan Region
Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly
