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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A fresh wave of the coronavirus has arrived in the Kurdistan Region as it records cases of the new Omicron variant, the health minister announced almost a week after the Region recorded its first infections of the mutated variant.
“The beginning of the fourth, strong and rapid wave of the coronavirus along with the mutated Omicron variant has begun” in the Kurdistan Region, health minister Saman Barzinji said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
He urged the people to get vaccinated, wear face masks and practice social distancing.
Coronavirus cases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are on the rise following a decline in infections and the detection of the first cases of the new Omicron variant on Thursday. Iraq warned of a “severe” new wave on Sunday.
Baghdad governor on Wednesday reduced working hours by half in governmental offices following the increase in cases, according to state media.
Omicron variant was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24, and was designated as a variant of concern two days later as it spread to several countries.
WHO has said that evidence show that Omicron causes milder symptoms than the Delta variant, Reuters quoted a health official as saying last week.
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.
To date, Iraq has recorded 2,100,518 cases and 24,220 deaths since the start of the pandemic, including in the Kurdistan Region.
Updated at 2:21 pm
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