Iraq reports record daily COVID-19 cases at 9,189

BAGHDAD. KAZINFORM - The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 9,189 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily record since the outbreak of pandemic, while the ministry warned of the seriousness of the epidemiological situation in the country, Xinhua reports.

«The Ministry of Health confirms that the epidemiological situation has become dangerous, and the infections are rapidly increasing in this wave,» the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry blamed the citizens for not abiding by the health-protective measures, calling on citizens to take the matter seriously and fully adhere to the protective measures, and called on them to immediately go to the vaccination centers spread around the country to receive the vaccination, according to the statement.

The nationwide caseload in Iraq thus rose to 1,406,289.

The ministry also confirmed 31 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 17,444, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 5,139 to 1,287,903.

A total of 12,088,184 tests have been carried out in Iraq since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 48,604 done during the day, the ministry said in a separate statement.

The statement also said 37,979 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered to 1,001,180.

Iraq has been pushing forward its vaccination drive since the drug authority approved in January the emergency use of China's Sinopharm vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020, the Chinese government has sent medical aid to Iraq and donated two shipments of Sinopharm vaccines to the country.