Iraq faces a new wave of COVID-19 cases amid great challenges
The Iraqi Ministry of Health worries that too many Iraqis are disregarding public health guidance and refusing to get vaccinated.
Iraq's alarming rise in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths pushed the parliament's Crisis Committee to meet on July 26 to study the situation. Technical Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Hani Al-Aqabi warned Iraqis on July 23 about the seriousness of the pandemic in the country, as hospitals have become overcrowded with infected patients.
On July 23, Dhi Qar Gov. Ahmed al-Khafaji announced that those who are unvaccinated would not be allowed to enter the province. Karbala province is relying on security forces to force citizens to comply with preventive measures.
Officials in the provinces of Ninevah and Kirkuk sounded the alarm on July 23 after hospitals in the two northern cities were overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.
The aggravation of the health crisis prompted the Iraqi Fiqh Council to issue a fatwa on July 23 allowing people to receive the coronavirus vaccine and prohibiting the circulation of false news.
