KRG reports decline in active COVID-19 cases; Iraq’s total infections near 2,700

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The total number of active coronavirus cases in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday witnessed another apparent decline after the fourth day of no new reported infections. That same day, Iraqi authorities announced 76 new infections and three deaths from the disease over the past 24 hours.

Out of a total of 733 tests the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) dedicated laboratories conducted over the previous 1 day period, all came back negative, a regional Health Ministry statement said. There has been a total of 51,832 tests across the region since the government began taking measures to contain the disease, formally known as COVID-19.

The number of active cases has now fallen to 20 across the region, all of whom are under medical supervision, health officials said. The complete tally of infections occurring since the highly-contagious disease first broke out in the Kurdistan Region has remained at 391 for the past four days, according to the ministry, which says five people have succumbed to the disease so far.

The statement reported that, out of 10,342 people that have been quarantined since early March, 1,233 remain under lockdown. This is part of a mandatory two-week restriction on movement to contain the virus. The individuals who are put under quarantine have either returned from abroad, are thought to have come in contact with people known to have it, or otherwise suspected to be at high risk for contracting it.

As more patients recover and fewer people get infected, the KRG has begun easing restrictions it first introduced in early March to limit transmission, such as allowing markets to reopen.

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The regional Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs also announced on Friday that mosques would be allowed to reopen on Monday.

Iraq’s Cases Rise, Steadily

Iraqi health workers have tested close to 2,000 people for the new coronavirus disease over the past 24 hours, a federal Health Ministry statement said on Saturday. According to the publicly released results, 76 came back positive, 54 of which were in Baghdad province. Another 17 were in Basra province, two in Anbar, and one in each of Maysan, Wasit, and Salahuddin provinces.

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Three more people have died due to coronavirus-related complications, the Iraqi statement confirmed.

The total number of infections, as reported by the ministry, has now reached 2,679, including 107 deaths and 1,702 recoveries. The statement said further that 870 active cases remain across all provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.

In early April, Iraq’s total announced active cases reached a maximum of 684 but significantly decreased toward late April. Since then, however, the numbers have witnessed another increase and are still trending upward.

The new cases come as Iraq as a whole has lifted some of the restrictions it first imposed in mid-March. Since then, the country has witnessed a successful transition of power after a drawn-out negotiation process to choose a successor to Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down in response to widespread anti-government protests in November.

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The incumbent premier, sworn in early Thursday, promised to take adequate measures to curb the spread of the disease as he took office.

Editing by John J. Catherine