Iraq reports 1,958 new COVID-19 cases, 49,109 in total

Baghdad, July 1 The Iraqi Health Ministry recorded 1,958 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 49,109.

The new cases included 539 in the capital Baghdad, 340 in Dhi Qar, 248 in Basra, 146 in Sulaimaniyah, 119 in Karbala and 102 in Maysan, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ministry also confirmed 104 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 1,943 in the country, while 1,786 more patients recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 24,760.

The new cases were recorded after 12,425 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 544,545 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement.

Jasim al-Falahi, Iraq's deputy health minister, said in a statement that the latest increase in recoveries is attributed to the great efforts by the health personnel in fighting against the pandemic, and the tightened implementation of the health preventive measures.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, called on the senior students in all medicine colleges across Iraq to volunteer to help the medical workers in the fighting against the pandemic, according to al-Falahi.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic.

On June 29, the media office of the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, said the committee decided to continue the partial curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.

The office didn't give details about whether to continue the full curfew on Thursday, Friday and Saturday every week.

China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq.

( With inputs from IANS )