BAGHDAD, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Tuesday 2,836 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the country to 134,722.
The new cases included 769 in the capital Baghdad, 296 in Karbala, 244 in Erbil, 207 in Basra, 194 in Babil, 135 in Maysan, and 129 in Najaf, the ministry said in a statement.
It also reported 83 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 5,017, while 1,992 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 96,103.
The new cases were recorded after 16,813 testing kits were used across Iraq during the day, and a total of 1,059,619 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the ministry statement.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said in a press release that hospitals in Baghdad that had been required to receive coronavirus patients will not assume the duty anymore.
The ministry has assigned two hospitals in Karkh area on the western bank of Tigris River and two others in Risafa area on the eastern bank of the river for COVID-19 patients, al-Tamimi explained.
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic.
On July 26, Iraq's Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided to extend the weekly full curfew from July 30 to Aug. 9.
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 Baghdad.
Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem
