New protective strategy needed to combat the rising number of COVID-19 deaths: Iraqi health official

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health expects a rise in the number of deaths from COVID-19 and has called for the implementation of stricter preventive measures. 

"The death toll from COVID-19 is increasing, and a new protective strategy should be adopted," Jasib Hijami, a director-general at the Iraqi Ministry of Health, told the Iraqi News Agency on Tuesday. 

Hijami expects an additional increase in the death toll from COVID-19 in the coming weeks. 

"It is likely that more restrictive protective measures will be taken during the next meeting of the Supreme Committee for National Health and Safety," he said.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority doesn't allow Iraqis to travel without a vaccine card and valid PCR test. 

Read More: Iraq warns most patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are 'unvaccinated'

Some European countries, such as Denmark, the UK, Norway, and France, have removed protective measures against COVID-19 and begun to focus on the vaccination process as a new strategy to combat the pandemic. 

They have reopened all public places, including restaurants, cultural centers, and sports centers. They also removed the obligatory distancing and mask-wearing measures. However, these European countries have also warned that the removal of COVID-19 restrictions doesn't mean the pandemic has ended. 

So far, an estimated 5.68 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19 complications.