COVID-19: Iraq reports 1,180 new cases and record-breaking 53 deaths
On Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment announced it had recorded 1,180 new cases of the coronavirus and 53 deaths due to complications related to the disease over the past 24 hours across the country.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment announced 53 deaths and 1,180 new cases of the coronavirus disease over the past 24 hours across the country.
The reported death count from coronavirus-related complications is the highest since the highly contagious disease first came into the country.
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A ministry statement said that 10,325 tests were conducted since Friday, raising the total to 359,950 examinations to detect the virus.
The total number of infections in Iraq is now 18,950 cases, according to the federal health ministry. There have been 549 deaths, 7,515 recoveries, with 10,886 cases still active and 113 patients in intensive care units, the statement added.
Earlier Saturday, the ministry said that a partial curfew will be enforced starting Sunday, and warned a full lockdown measure could be imposed throughout the country until July if the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. These decisions exclude the Kurdistan Region as the regional government issues its own measures.
"The increasing number of coronavirus infection may prompt us to announce a complete lockdown in the country," said Riyaz al-Hilfe, Director-General of Public Health at the ministry.
Hilfe also explained that the partial curfew measure, in effect from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., would start Sunday, a new regulation enacted by the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety to combat the pandemic.
Editing by Khrush Najari