The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Saturday 6,552 new coronavirus cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 970,987, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
It also reported 33 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,948, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 5,867 to 849,718.
A total of 8,767,925 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 35,287 done during the day.
Spokesman of the ministry Sayf al-Badr said in a press release that taking the coronavirus vaccines in Iraq is not compulsory, but the ministry suggested compulsory vaccinations for private hospitals and laboratories, travelers, and some government institutions.
"The Ministry of Health is working with all the concerned parties to control the coronavirus pandemic, and new restrictive instructions will be issued in the coming days," al-Badr said.