Iraq reports 2,049 new COVID-19 cases, more than 1,900 recoveries

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said it had recorded 2,049 new coronavirus infections, 75 deaths, and 1,997 recoveries over the past 24 hours.

The ministry mentioned in a statement that 15,229 tests were carried out over the same period, raising the total to 777,287 since the outbreak of the new disease in Iraq in late February.

According to official data, about 59,000 patients have recovered from the disease, which is about 65 percent of the total infection numbers. There are reportedly just over 90,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 28,037 active cases, and 3,691 fatalities across the country.

The Iraqi government’s High National Health and Safety Committee announced on Thursday that it was lifting some of current coronavirus pandemic restrictions across the country, including allowing airports to reopen on July 23.

Read More: Iraq to reduce curfew measures, reopen airports on July 23

However, the Iraqi parliament's anti-coronavirus crisis cell said on Saturday that it considered the government's recent decisions "premature," claiming they would hinder coronavirus containment efforts.

"The decisions of the High Committee for Health and Safety regarding easing procedures, ending the curfew, opening malls, and airports are unscientific and premature," said Jawad al-Musawi, the head of the parliamentary crisis cell, in a statement. He added also that progress made to curb the spread of the virus "will be lost" due to the moves.

Musawi claimed further that the lifting of restrictions "is evidence of the fact that there are no specialists in virology, and epidemiology in the [government] committee unlike the countries of the region and the world."

Editing by Khrush Najari