Demand for COVID-19 vaccines rise in Kurdistan's Zakho

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region city of Zakho has recently witnessed a surge in demand for COVID-19 vaccines as the rate of infections increases.

There are about 20,000 people waiting for their vaccine appointment in the city, according to public health data obtained by Kurdistan 24.

The city recently added two new vaccination centers to boost the drive; three of the existing facilities only provide the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which the people there prefer most.

So far, over 12,000 people in Zakho, Duhok province, have received at least a dose of one of the available vaccines, according to official data. Only about 6,000 individuals have received both doses.

The city's population, however, is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, meaning only a small percentage of the public has been immunized or is planning on getting the vaccine.

Related Article: Iraq: COVID, elections and lack of funding postpones first comprehensive census since 1987

Health officials in Duhok province have reported administering 127,000 vaccine doses, the highest rate of any province in the Kurdistan Region.

Public demand for vaccines has been on the rise in Erbil province as well recently, fueled in part by rising infections.

The total number of COVID-19 cases since the first infection was confirmed in early 2020 has now reached over 275,000, including more than 5,100 deaths.