COVID-19: Iraq records 3,667 new infections; Integrity Commission advises tougher measures at airports
The Iraqi health ministry has reported close to 440,000 coronavirus cases so far, with recorded fatalities being over 10,000.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment on Wednesday announced 3,667 new coronavirus infections and 52 deaths due to the disease over the past 24 hours.
A ministry statement said that it had conducted 20,214 tests in the last 24 hours, making for a total of 2,685,744 tests conducted since the beginning of the outbreak in Iraq.
According to the latest health figures, the total number of infections in Iraq reached 438,256, including 369,010 recoveries, and 10,418 fatalities.
The new numbers come as the federal Integrity Commission called on Baghdad International Airport management to review health measures taken at the facility to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The body warned that "some of these measures" may contribute to the spread of the virus instead of reducing it.
The commission said in a statement that it had recorded a case that it suggested airport officials had mishandled.
The authorities at the facility had allowed a person who did not possess a health document showing he was clear of the coronavirus to interact with staff. The document is mandated for would-be travelers.
The commission also explained in a report that “the competent authorities at the airport approve any health certificate for a PCR examination presented by incoming passengers, while other countries do not accept most of the tests conducted in Iraq.”
The body recommended the federal government to take steps to create health examination centers at all airports and border crossings to detect the coronavirus and fight its spread effectively.
Editing by Khrush Najari