Coronavirus: in Iraq, the number of new cases explodes

Thousands of pilgrims gathered in Kerbala to commemorate Ashura on August 30, 2020, without sufficient sanitary measures.

REUTERS / Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

In the last 24 hours, the country has recorded a new record: more than 5,000 new cases, bringing the total number to 252,075, including 7,359 deaths.

One of the highest balance sheets in the Middle East.

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With our correspondent in Baghdad

,

Hospitals may well lose

in the coming days.

This is what the Iraqi authorities say, sounding the alarm bells in the face of a recent surge in new Covid-19 cases.

Last week Iraq commemorated Ashura, one of the most important religious holidays in the Muslim world.

Thousands of pilgrims have thus gathered in Kerbala, 80 km south of Baghdad, without sufficient sanitary measures.

What to increase the pressure on hospitals, already out of breath in normal times.

For example:

has 14 beds per 10,000 inhabitants, compared to 60 in France.

The country is sorely lacking in doctors, intensive care units, or even ventilators in public hospitals.

Call to responsibility

Many Iraqis, suffering from other diseases, hesitate even today to go to these establishments which they consider infected.

The Ministry of Health calls on the population to be extremely vigilant and to respect health measures, but in the streets of Baghdad, nothing helps: very few wear masks and respect social distancing, raising fears of a catastrophic scenario in the country.

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• Iraq

• Coronavirus

• Health and medicine

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