SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Health authorities in Sulaimani on Wednesday warned of rapid spread of Delta variant of the coronavirus in the city.
General Director of Health in Sulaimani Sabah Hawrami said eight patients had died from the coronavirus in the city in the previous 24 hours.
“The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in Sulaimani,” the health director said in a statement.
On Monday, the directorate of health announced the first case of Delta variant in the province.
The more contagious Delta variant was first found in India earlier this year. It has since become the dominant version of the virus in the United States and many other countries. It has been detected in more than 90 nations worldwide.
So far, the Kurdistan Region has registered 208,000 cases of the virus, including 4,626 deaths.
Earlier, the health ministry warned that a “tragic disaster” could occur in the Kurdistan Region due to “carelessness” toward coronavirus.
Health Minister Saman Barzinji also warned that the health condition in the Region had entered a “dangerous” phase.
The interior ministry also issued a 13-point statement as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak.
The ministry said people visiting the Kurdistan Region from Iraqi provinces should take coronavirus tests within 72 hours prior to travel to the Region.
It added that health teams would be stationed at the Region’s checkpoints to take “random samples” from people visiting the Region.
It also called on the Region’s residents to wear masks in public and avoid visits during Eid al-Adha due to a rise in coronavirus infections.
