ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have provided $627,000 worth of medical aid to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in order to fight COVID-19.

“The medical aid includes six ambulances, 60 ventilators, and 7,000 COVID-19 test kits,” WHO's media department confirmed.

The aid also includes 60 hospital beds that will be distributed to Erbil and Duhok, with 30 previously given to Sulaimani province. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, KRG’s health minister Saman Barzanji told reporters ministry had called on the US Consulate to help in the fight against coronavirus. 

“We asked for the support from the Consul General of US in Erbil and we thank him for his response,” Barzanji said.

WHO announced last week that it would be conducting awareness campaigns about the virus in the Kurdistan Region, targeting nine "high-risk" areas in Sulaimani province.

Erbil has seen a total of 10,263 COVID-19 cases, 4,081 of which remain active. As many as 339 people have died in the province after contracting the virus, according to government figures.

Across the Kurdistan Region, a total of 25,252 cases have been confirmed and 930 people have died. Iraq has recorded more than 204,341 infections and 6,428 deaths.