Iraq's Health Ministry has warned of “dire consequences” ahead because citizens are not heeding coronavirus prevention measures, after the country reached a new high in daily infection rates.
Iraq recorded 8,331 new virus cases within a 24-hour period on Wednesday, the highest figure since the ministry began keeping records at the onset of the pandemic last year.
That was double the number of new infections from last month, and well ahead of a previous peak of some 6,000 in March. Death rates are still fairly low relative to new infections.
At least 14,606 people have died, from a total of 903,439 cases. The severe spike in case numbers prompted the Health Ministry to issue a grave warning in a statement on Thursday, saying the rise was