COVID-19: Kurdistan Region registers 595 new cases, 24 deaths in past 24 hours

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported a new uptick of 595 coronavirus cases along with 24 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 5,275 tests across the region in 24 hours, of which 595 returned positive: 231 in Duhok province, 189 in Erbil, 112 in Sulaimani, and 30 in Halabja.

The statement also mentioned there had been 24 fatalities due to the disease in the same period: 10 in Erbil, six in Sulaimani, five in Duhok, and three in Raparin.

The statement noted that the total number of infections across the Kurdistan Region since the outbreak is 29,347.

Of the total, 18,520 patients have recovered, 1,098 have died, while 9,729 are still receiving treatment.

It is important to note that recoveries do not necessarily mean the patient is cured as trends have shown that people who have contracted the virus still experience some symptoms and complications.

WHO awareness-raising campaign

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq on Tuesday announced it had concluded its nine-day awareness-raising campaign in the Kurdistan Region, in which it reached out to nearly 800,000 people in 10 areas across Sulaimani province, “including camps for internally displaced people and refugees in the Arbat and Kalar districts.”

The campaign involved the distribution of brochures filled with health instructions and risk factors about COVID-19. Moreover, flyers and educational videos were also used to convey health messages, including the importance of wearing face masks.

The organization chose Sulaimani province to initiate its campaign as it was previously the epicenter for the coronavirus due to its proximity with Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany