Active infections and suspected cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have not been reported in the Kurdistan Region, Saman Barzinji told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman, noting that the Delta variant is still the dominant infectious strain in the area.
Once a case of the new variant is detected, the health ministry will announce it to the public, he added. “It is the security of the health of the people."
The first case of the new Omicron variant was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, and was designated as a variant of concern two days later as it spread to several countries.
Coronavirus infections in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region soared over the summer during a surge in Delta cases. Both areas registered high numbers of infections and deaths.
The increase in infections contributed to an increased demand for vaccines, but the decline in the rate of infections and misleading information have discouraged people from getting vaccinated.
In the Region, just 21 percent of people above 18 years of age are fully vaccinated, according to Barzinji, while 16 percent of teenagers who are above 12-year-old have received both jabs of the vaccine.
The Kurdistan Region began the process of vaccinating teenagers in early November.
The Kurdistan Region has begun giving COVID vaccines to teenagers and today the first 12-year-old in Erbil got the jab.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) November 6, 2021
📸: Bilind T. Abdullah pic.twitter.com/uyZadc5Nz6
Last week, Iraq on Tuesday said it will begin administering a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups.
In late October, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said that all teachers and students over the age of 18 must be vaccinated by December 1. All government employees must be vaccinated by January 1, 2022. It also reinstated a Region-wide mask mandate, but the rule is widely ignored.
Iraq warned of a new strain spreading through the country in late October, urging people to get vaccinated.
To date, Iraq has recorded 2,084,961 cases and 23,903 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including the Kurdistan Region.
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