Iraq MoH: 300 children caught COVID-19's new strain

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Minister of Health and Environment, Hassan Al-Tamimi, announced that more than 300 children had been infected with COVID-19 new strain.

Al-Tamimi said in a press conference, "There are more than 13,311 fatalities, more than 670,000 cases", noting that 300 children -under 14 years old- have been infected with the new strain. 

He added, "After great efforts by the White Army, the Health and Environment Committee and the Crisis Cell, our ministry was able to confront the pandemic, and achieved high recovery rates that exceeded 92%, and the death rate decreased to less than 1.9%." 

"The Ministry was able to establish more than 80 specialized hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients, with 12,000 respiratory systems, 14,000 beds, and 70 laboratories, in addition to increasing the storage capacity of oxygen to more than one million and 800 thousand liters," Al-Tamimi said.

He noted, "All medical equipment have been provided to confront the pandemic."

The minister said that the ministry has prepared all the procedures for obtaining the vaccine by approving three companies to provide it soon, and is awaiting for legislating the law and funding the project by the Iraqi parliament," indicating that the COVAX vaccines were paid for (more than 16 million doses), and will arrive in Iraq soon."