People put on protective suits outside a temporary hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 18, 2020. The Iraqi Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 4,576 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total nationwide infections to 184,709. (Xinhua)
BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 4,576 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total nationwide infections to 184,709.
It also reported 82 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 6,036, while 2,895 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 131,840.
The new cases were recorded after 20,772 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 1,325,103 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the ministry spokesman Sayf al-Badr said in a press release that in the past few months, there was no compliance with the health preventing measures by the citizens.
Al-Badr also attributed the latest increase in the number of infections to the fact that the curfew measure was not properly implemented as requested by the ministry.
It was expected that Iraq would be at the forefront of the world in the daily infections with the coronavirus, due to a lack of compliance with the preventive measures as the social visits during the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays continued, al-Badr added.
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. Enditem
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