Iraq reports 3,501 new COVID-19 cases, 420,303 in total

Baghdad [Iran], October 16 (ANI/Xinhua): The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Friday 3,501 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 420,303.
The new cases included 1,140 in the capital Baghdad, 398 in Duhok, 275 in Erbil, 259 in Sulaimaniyah, and 201 in Wasit, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also reported 56 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 10,142 in the country.
It also said 3,210 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 353,962.
A total of 2,588,780 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 20,004 done in the past 24 hours, according to the statement.
Hassan al-Khalatti, a member of the health parliamentary committee, told the official Iraqi News Agency that the health authorities are planning to close epidemiological wards in some hospitals and rely instead on a central hospital in each province for coronavirus patients.
Such a plan must be implemented in anticipation of large numbers of COVID-19 infections in the coming period, he said.
Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.
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 Baghdad.
Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. (ANI/Xinhua)