COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 40 percent, Kurdistan Region health minister warns

Compared to last week, death rates have also increased by 19 percent, Barzinji said.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/10/24 11:05

A COVID-19 patient at a hospital Kurdistan Region's Duhok province, July 27, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)

Kurdistan COVID-19 Hospitalization Vaccine Krg Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 infections has increased by 40 percent compared to previous weeks, the Kurdistan Region’s health minister said on Saturday.

Infection rates have also increased by five percent compared to recent weeks, Health Minister Saman Barzinji said on Saturday.

Some parts of the Region have recently witnessed a surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, including the Raparin Administration.

The severity of infections has also increased, resulting in this 40 percent increase in hospitalizations, the minister added.

The health official said that the government’s COVID-19 task force is expected to meet on Monday to discuss these developments.

Compared to last week, death rates have also increased by 19 percent, Barzinji said.

He added that health authorities are attempting to make vaccination mandatory for those working in enclosed places, where the risk of infections transmitting is substantially higher.

Despite possessing an abundance of vaccines, the Region has had a low number of vaccinations among the population to date.

The Region’s health ministry recently announced that it would provide mobile vaccination teams for crowded places amid the rising number of infections.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the Kurdistan Region has witnessed over 355,000 infections, more than 6,200 of which have been fatal.