On the early hours of June 10th, a nine-year-old boy from Kifri in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) died from apparent respiratory distress. His family told media outlets that the district general hospital he was taken to did not have enough oxygen supplies to save his life. They also claimed that his father had to […]
Tag: Kurdistan
Loss of trust and reluctance in following COVID-19 protective measures in Iraq
The Iraqi Kurdistan region imposed strong control measures against COVID-19 from the early stages of the outbreak. These measures included cross-border movement limitation with health screening that was followed by complete border closure, banning flights and COVID-19 testing for all people returning to the region from abroad. Furthermore, other measures were implemented, including the […]
Why are funerals superspreading events for COVID-19 in Kurdistan?
In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), funerals appear to be one of the most significant superspreading events for COVID-19. Officials from the Ministry of Health (MoH) referred to funerals as the source of clusters of cases in several locations. One funeral, for example, accounted for the largest spike in COVID-19 cases on a single day. The role […]
COVID-19 in Kurdistan: Health system vulnerabilities in a fragile setting
As of May 01, 2020, The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq has confirmed 381 COVID-19 cases and five deaths. The low number in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is not dissimilar to trends in The Middle East and North Africa (MENA). However, there are concerns that the numbers might be higher than official […]