BAGHDAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday reported 4,305 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 311,690.
The ministry also confirmed 76 new deaths from the infectious disease, taking the death toll to 8,408. Meanwhile, 4,205 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 245,305.
The new cases included 1,462 in the capital Baghdad, 380 in Wasit, 302 in Basra, 254 in Erbil, 227 in Dhi Qar, and 206 in Qadisiyah, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.
It said that the ministry has carried out up to 2,021,586 test kits across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 23,291 done on during the day.
Meanwhile, Hassan al-Khalatti, a member of the health parliamentary committee, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the committee held a meeting with the Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi and discussed the ministry's current measures to contain the spread of coronavirus and its plans for the coming period.
Khalatti said that the ministry is planning to prepare makeshift hospitals with around 9,000 beds in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to enable current hospitals to return to their usual medical services, according to INA.
The ministry also directed the provinces and the provincial health departments to build a central epidemiological hospital in each province in preparation for other possibilities during the coming period, Khalatti said.
"The ministry is in contact with some countries, which have started developing the coronavirus vaccines so that Iraq will be one of the first countries to import the vaccine after being approved by the World Health Organization," INA quoted al-Khalatti as saying.
Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.
However, despite the continuing resurgence in the pandemic, the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, has decided to ease the anti-coronavirus restrictions by permitting people's movement among the country's provinces, reopening the border crossings, restaurants, tourist facilities of five-star hotels, and lifting the ban on sporting events.
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
