COVID-19: Iraq tops daily record for new cases, deaths; total infections near 40,000
The Iraqi health ministry gave its latest daily coronavirus statement on Thursday, reporting 2,437 new infections and 107 deaths due to complications related to the disease.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi health ministry gave its latest daily coronavirus statement on Thursday, reporting 2,437 new infections and 107 deaths due to complications related to the disease.
The numbers are a new all-time high for new cases and fatalities since the virus first entered Iraq’s borders in February. From the start, and through the month of May, transmission appeared relatively slow—not exceeding the lower hundreds—amid a country-wide lockdown and limited testing abilities.
Related Article: Kurdistan reports 31 new coronavirus cases; Iraq tops 6,000
Since late May, however, the number of new cases has risen dramatically as Iraq reopened domestically as well as some border crossings with neighboring Iran—from where the infection spread to Iraq in the first place—, and upped examinations to detect the virus.
On June 10, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq, Dr. Adham Ismail, stated that the pre-mature resumption of trade with Iran, by both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, had been a significant factor in the dramatic spike in new cases of the deadly disease.
Read More: WHO: 'Breach' of health regulations, trade with Iran behind new COVID-19 spike in Iraq, Kurdistan
The latest infections count came after health workers carried out over 11,000 tests across the country over the past 24 hours, a federal health ministry statement said. The governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have conducted 490,000 examinations since the beginning of the outbreak, according to official data.
The total number of deaths due to coronavirus-related complications is now 1,437, the statement detailed, and there are nearly 40,000 total cases, including about 18,000 recoveries and over 19,500 active cases.
Today's national figures do not include the most recent developments in the Kurdistan Region, which has its own health ministry and typically announces results later in the day. As such, Kurdistan's figures are usually added to the following day's national tally.
As the disease continues to spread rapidly, the Iraqi health sector—already dilapidated and underdeveloped due to years of war and instability—, has been strained to its limits, with some healthcare facilities unable to take in any more patients.
Medical professionals have also reportedly complained of the dwindling supply of protective equipment in hospitals treating coronavirus patients. To address this issue, the Iraqi health minister said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday that his ministry was working to ensure healthcare facilities have a sufficient stock of much-needed safety gear.
The spike in infections comes as struggling local economies pushed provincial governments in Iraq to reopen their doors for business, the workers of which were finding it near impossible to make ends meet during the shutdown despite limited relief efforts.
In many provinces, there is still a nighttime curfew in place.
Amid the reopening, however, senior health officials have stated that citizens have not abided by health regulations—such as social distancing and wearing masks in public—that have proven effective in limiting person-to-person transmission.
Related Article: Iraq hits single-day record of 1,635 COVID-19 cases, 69 deaths
Along with the coronavirus pandemic, Iraq, like many other countries worldwide, is also hit with an economic crisis. It is also witnessing a weakened though still significant period of civil strife that and an uptick in terrorist activity, especially in the country's central provinces.
Editing by John J. Catherine