COVID-19 infection numbers 'stable' in Kurdistan Region while Baghdad continues night curfew

Health officials in Baghdad say that roughly 22,000 coronavirus vaccinations are now being administered daily throughout the nation. (Photo: Reuters)
Health officials in Baghdad say that roughly 22,000 coronavirus vaccinations are now being administered daily throughout the nation. (Photo: Reuters)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The autonomous Kurdistan Region announced on Tuesday that the rate of new coronavirus infections among its population remained "stable" and that health officials had recorded only 10 deaths over the previous 24 hours as vaccination programs ramp up across Iraq.

In its daily report, the regional Ministry of Health in Erbil stated that it had completed 9,280 tests in the past day which showed 537 new confirmed cases: 106 in Erbil province, 285 in Sulaimani, 139 in Duhok, and seven in Halabja.

The total number of infections in the Kurdistan Region since the first case was confirmed in March 2020 is now at 170,631 with 4,285 of them having proven fatal. 

The Kurdistan Region has received tens of thousands of doses of three different types of vaccine, administered through the Federal Ministry of Health and Environment.

Earlier this month, the Red Crescent Society of the United Arab Emirates allocated 15,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to vulnerable displaced populations now residing in the Kurdistan Region, in cooperation with the Erbil-based Barzani Charity Foundation. Thousands of those doses have now been administered.

Read More: UAE Red Crescent provides COVID-19 vaccines for IDPs, refugees in Kurdistan Region

In recent weeks and months, the federal health ministry has recorded a sharp increase in infections, including confirmed cases of various international strains that epidemiologists the world over are watching closely for trends in serious symptoms and increased transmissibility.

The rise in cases in Iraq prompted Erbil authorities to impose strict health measures, such as banning public gatherings and prohibiting travel between provinces, but such restrictions have mostly been lifted and schools opened following significant declines in infection rates.

Health officials in Baghdad say that roughly 22,000 coronavirus vaccinations are now being administered daily throughout the nation, with a total of about 600,000 patients having completed the process to date.

The total number of infections so far throughout all of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, is now 1,205,522, with 16,405 deaths.

Federal Iraqi authorities say that the death rate is still far too high and that this has prompted them to continue to impose a night curfew in attempts to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease.

Editing by John J. Catherine