30 percent of coronavirus tests in Iraq positive: Ministry of Health 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Thirty percent of coronavirus tests conducted in Iraq have come back positive, marking a sharp rise in infections, the country’s health ministry announced Monday. 

Hospitalization rates have decreased despite this concerning rise in positive cases, the head of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Health told the Iraqi News Agency. 

Aside from mask-wearing and physical distancing, Iraq does not presently need any stricter measures against the pandemic, the official added. 

Social interactions and physical contact have dramatically increased as Iraqis celebrate the Islamic feast of Eid Al-Adha. Consequently, health workers will likely face an uptick in cases in the upcoming days. 

The positivity rate is measured as the number of positive cases out of the total tests conducted within a specific timeframe. 

Per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) assessment, a positivity rate of more than five percent requires a government to strictly tighten COVID-19 measures to contain the spread of the virus, which has killed over 25,000 people in Iraq.

In the past 24 hours, health workers identified more than 2,300 positive cases from 8,000 tests, per the ministry’s daily infections tally. 

Only one person died due to the virus during the same time, the ministry revealed. 

Up until Sunday, Iraq has recorded more than 2.3 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020.