Over 30 percent of cases in Iraq are Omicron variant: health ministry
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s health ministry on Sunday warned that the epidemiologic situation is getting more dangerous as more than 30 percent of recorded in the country are of the new and more concerning Omicron variant.
“The epidemiological situation is getting more and more dangerous due to the lack of adherence to health procedures and vaccination,” Iraqi state media quoted the ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr as saying, adding that over 30 percent of recorded cases in the country are of the Omicron variant.
A new wave of the coronavirus hit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region after the detection of the first cases of the Omicron variant earlier this month. Both areas are seeing a surge of infections following a decline in cases.
The Iraqi health ministry on Sunday said that it had recorded 4,931 new cases of the coronavirus in 24 hours.
The ministry’s general director Jaseb al-Hijami on Wednesday said that it was expected for a fourth wave to start in January, warning of difficulties and challenges that could face the health sector, if “the daily record reached more than 15,000 cases.”
Omicron variant was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24, and was designated as a variant of concern two days later as it spread to several countries. WHO has said that evidence show that Omicron causes milder symptoms than the Delta variant, Reuters quoted a health official as saying.
To date, Iraq has recorded 2,154,237 cases and 24,287 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including the Kurdistan Region.
“The epidemiological situation is getting more and more dangerous due to the lack of adherence to health procedures and vaccination,” Iraqi state media quoted the ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr as saying, adding that over 30 percent of recorded cases in the country are of the Omicron variant.
A new wave of the coronavirus hit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region after the detection of the first cases of the Omicron variant earlier this month. Both areas are seeing a surge of infections following a decline in cases.
The Iraqi health ministry on Sunday said that it had recorded 4,931 new cases of the coronavirus in 24 hours.
The ministry’s general director Jaseb al-Hijami on Wednesday said that it was expected for a fourth wave to start in January, warning of difficulties and challenges that could face the health sector, if “the daily record reached more than 15,000 cases.”
Omicron variant was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24, and was designated as a variant of concern two days later as it spread to several countries. WHO has said that evidence show that Omicron causes milder symptoms than the Delta variant, Reuters quoted a health official as saying.
To date, Iraq has recorded 2,154,237 cases and 24,287 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including the Kurdistan Region.