SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Four new coronavirus variants have been recorded in Sulaimani city, a senior health official said on Friday.
Director of Health in Sulaimani Sabah Hawrami said the new COVID-19 variants had been discovered in the city since November 2020, without giving further details.
“Four new coronavirus strains have been recorded in Sulaimani city,” he said.
Coronavirus cases have been rising sharply in the Kurdistan Region in the past week. On Friday, the Kurdish ministry of health recorded 725 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, the second-highest single-day rise in coronavirus infections.
“Statistics of coronavirus infections is rising sharply and deaths from the virus has increased,” Minister of Health Saman Barzinji warned on Friday.
Meanwhile, Spokesman of the health ministry Aso Hawezi said many healthcare workers had been infected with the virus, creating a “big vacuum” in the health sector.
As of Friday, the Kurdistan Region had logged 118,137 coronavirus infections, with 3,627 deaths, according to the ministry of health.