Erbil does not have any omicron cases so far: Health official

Health authorities have previously said that they were investigating a number of suspected omicron cases.

Halgurd Sherwani 2022/01/02 22:36

A medic analyses samples from COVID-19 patients at a hospital in the Kurdistan Region’s northern city of Duhok, July 27, 2021. (Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP)

Kurdistan COVID-19

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Erbil has not recorded any cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus so far, the province’s health chief told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

Health authorities previously said that they were investigating a number of suspected omicron cases.

“Fortunately, there have been no recorded cases of omicron in Erbil,” Erbil health chief Dlovan Mohammad told Kurdistan 24.

The new variant has been found in a number of Middle Eastern and neighboring countries of Iraq.

Neither the Iraqi federal government nor its regional counterpart has verified any cases of the variant found first in South Africa.

Health scientists are worried the newly mutated variant might evade vaccine-induced antibodies against the contagion.

Since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the Kurdistan Region has so far recorded more than 380,000 infections, of which more than 7,000 have resulted in fatalities.