The Iraqi Health Ministry on Sunday reported 4,348 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, while the health authorities decided the partial curfew to be imposed seven days a week, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The 4,348 cases brought the total nationwide infections to 176,931, as the ministry's health teams and institutions have used 19,278 testing kits across the country during the day, the highest daily tests so far, raising the total testing kits used so far to 1,282,928, the ministry said in a statement.
It also reported 75 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll from the virus to 5,860, while 2,674 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 125,374.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili said in a press release that the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety decided to cancel the weekly three-day full curfew to replace them with partial curfew every week.
He said that the committee, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, also reduced the partial curfew hours to be from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic.
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 Iraq's capital Baghdad.
Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq.