The total number of COVID-19 infections in Iraq climbed on Sunday to 20,209, after the health ministry reported 1,259 new cases during the past 24 hours, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The new cases were 587 in the capital Baghdad, 122 in Dhi Qar, 81 in Najaf, 79 in Maysan, 69 in Kirkuk, 51 in Basra and Sulaimaniyah each, 39 in Wasit, 38 in Karbala, 36 in Erbil, 32 in Diyala, 29 in Anbar, 12 in Salahudin, 10 in in Babil, nine in Duhok and Diwaniyah each, four in Nineveh and one in Muthanna, the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 58 more died from the coronavirus during the day, with 29 in Baghdad's hospitals, bringing the death toll to 607, while a total of 8,121 patients have recovered, according to the statement.
The new cases were recorded after 9,920 testing kits were used across the country during the day. A total of 369,870 tests have been conducted since the outbreak of the disease.
A day earlier, the Iraqi authorities decided to partially lift the nationwide curfew from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Sunday.
Other restrictions adopted in the country include demanding wearing masks, preventing religious and social gatherings, imposing fines and severe penalties on violators of the health instructions.
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 an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad.
Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq.