Iraq records highest ever daily COVID-19 infections; Kurdistan reports 1
Iraqi health authorities in Baghdad reported a total of 119 new coronavirus infections across the country in the previous 24 hours while their counterparts in the autonomous Kurdistan Region announced only a single new case in areas under its jurisdiction.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi health authorities in Baghdad reported a total of 119 new coronavirus infections across the country in the previous 24 hours while their counterparts in the autonomous Kurdistan Region announced only a single new case in areas under its jurisdiction.
The combined figure sets new daily high in the nation for a second day running, just as the total tally calculated by both the federal and regional governments tops 3,000.
An Iraqi Health Ministry statement said that Wednesday's results came as the results of 4,200 new coronavirus tests were registered. Baghdad and Basra provinces were the worst-hit, with 82 and 32 new cases, respectively. Additionally, Nineveh and Muthanna provinces each had two infections and Diyala had one.
Related Article: Basra tightens curfew as virus cases rise; other Iraqi provinces ease restrictions
Three more people passed away in Baghdad province and 63 others recovered nationally. Iraqi authorities have conducted 132,457 tests so far, saying they have recorded 3,032 cases in full. Close to 1,100 active cases remain.
The first Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) coronavirus update Wednesday afternoon said there had been no new infections over the previous 24 hours, but the regional Health Ministry later reported one new infection in a brief follow-up statement. Since federal health officials in Baghdad already made their announcement earlier in the day, the single new case in Kurdistan will be added to tomorrow's national reported total.
The new case—that of a 50-year-old man in the city of Sulaimani who was tested after showing symptoms of the disease—comes after over a week of authorities reporting zero recorded daily infections. The tally in the Kurdistan Region now stands at 392, including five deaths, 375 recoveries, and twelve patients still receiving medical treatment.
Health workers in Sulaimani, according to local and regional rules now in place, will carry out coronavirus examinations on family members of the new patient or others he is thought to have been in contact with as part of efforts to contain the disease and limit its potential spread to others.
The KRG has conducted 56,452 coronavirus tests, the health ministry said on Wednesday, adding that 1,450 of them had been conducted over the previous 24 hours. Most of the new examinations, 637 in all, took place in Sulaimani province.
While the number of active cases has seen an apparent decline in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq’s declared numbers have witnessed an uptick since late April, when the federal government began easing curfew measures as the holy month of Ramadan arrived.
Related Article: KRG reports decline in active COVID-19 cases; Iraq’s total infections near 2,700
Baghdad province’s spike—totaling 705 claimed cases—, contributed to the decision by authorities in Babil province, located to the south of the capital province, to close its borders. The Diwaniya provincial government has enacted similar measures of its own as the disease continues to spread.
Baghdad and Basra both have close to 300 active cases, according to government-provided data.
In late April, the main WHO office in Iraq applauded the success of the KRG's efforts to combat the disease. “I want to congratulate the Kurdistan Region on their achievement in fighting the coronavirus,” said an official from the organization. “The rate of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in the region is very low compared to other Iraqi governorates.”
Read More: WHO congratulates Kurdistan Region on coronavirus response
Editing by John J. Catherine