COVID-19: Iraq records over 2000 new cases, 100 deaths in single day

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, Iraq's Ministry of Health provided its latest daily coronavirus statement, as it reported 2,504 new infections and 122 deaths as a result of the disease.

Following the appearance of the new virus in Iraq in early March and through the month of May, transmission rates appeared relatively slow and did not exceed the low hundreds, amid a country-wide lockdown and limited testing abilities.

However, Iraq has recently begun reporting record numbers of new cases of the highly infectious disease, on a daily bases.

Since late May, the number of new cases has risen dramatically, after it began to restart its domestic economy and re-opened some border crossings with neighboring Iran, the epicenter of the disease in the Middle East and original source of the spread of the infection into Iraq.

In addition, Baghdad has increased testing for the virus, which, while necessary to combating the virus, also has the effect of increasing the number of reported cases.

On June 10, Dr. Adham Ismail, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq, 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 count of infections appeared after Iraq carried out over 11,920 tests across the country over the past 24 hours, the federal health ministry statement said. The Iraqi government has conducted 500, 723 examinations since the beginning of the outbreak, according to official data.

The total number of deaths in Iraq due to the coronavirus now stands at 1,559, the statement added, while there have been nearly 41,193 total cases, including 18,859 recoveries, and 20,775 cases remain active.

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 its rapid spread, the Iraqi health sector—already dilapidated and underdeveloped, due to years of war and instability— has become severely strained, with some healthcare facilities unable to accept new patients.

Medical professionals have also complained of the dwindling supply of personal protective equipment in hospitals that treat coronavirus patients. To address the problem, Iraq's Minister of Health said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday that his ministry was working to ensure healthcare facilities have a sufficient stock of the much-needed safety gear.

The spike in infections comes after struggling local economies pushed provincial governments to reopen for business. Workers were experiencing extreme financial difficulties during the shutdown, despite limited relief efforts.

In many Iraqi provinces, a nighttime curfew is still in place. But, of course, that does nothing to address the problem of daytime transmission.

Moreover, there is a serious problem of citizen non-compliance with public health regulations. Amid Iraq's reopening, senior health officials have warned that people are not abiding by prescribed health measures—such as social distancing and wearing masks in public—that have proven effective in limiting transmission of the disease.

Related Article: Iraq hits single-day record of 1,635 COVID-19 cases, 69 deaths

Iraq is now beset by multiple difficulties. With the coronavirus pandemic, it, like many other countries, has been hit with a major decline in domestic economic activity. It is also heavily dependent on oil exports, and the price of oil on world markets has fallen significantly. In addition, Iraq is witnessing an uptick in terrorist activity, especially in the country's central provinces, as well as in the territories in dispute with the Kurdistan Region.

Editing by Laurie Mylroie