SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry confirmed on Sunday that five people had been infected with the new coronavirus train.
Spokesman of the health ministry Aso Hawezi said there might be more cases of the new virus strain among people in the Region.
“Tests of the new strain is conducted in the Kurdistan Region, and the device and tests that we have are not available in the whole Iraq,” Hawezi told Esta Media Network.
On Saturday, the Region’s health ministry said there were five suspected cases of a mutant variant of the coronavirus in the Region.
Iraqi minister of health Hassan al-Tamimi said on Saturday that more than 50% of the new COVID-19 cases recorded in the country were the new virus strain.
Iraq has been among the countries hardest-hit by coronavirus in the Middle East, with more than 664,700 reported cases and over 13,200 deaths.
It has also blamed the new “UK strain,” which emerged in southern England in December and is thought to be more contagious than others.
*This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. EBLT time
