EbeneInfo – AU – COVID-19: Suspicious new variant discovered in the Kurdistan region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A new suspected case of the COVID-19 variant was discovered on Wednesday in Duhok province of the Kurdistan Region, a person who had returned from the UK said the Health Minister of the Autonomous Kurdish Region

The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Health, Saman Barzinji, announced in a statement on Wednesday that the health authorities discovered a suspected case of the new COVID-19 variant in a person when they arrived from the UK

« He tested negative for COVID-19 even though he showed symptoms similar to the virus, » Barzinji said in comments on Kurdistan 24 on the new suspected case, raising doubts that the patient could wear the new variant

The alleged case is currently under investigation by health authorities in Erbil, Barzinji told Kurdistan 24

The health minister said his ministry could run tests on the new variant, but on a « limited scale » « 

« We are currently expanding the laboratories to provide special kits that recognize the new variant in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, » he said, adding, « they are part of the preparation for the new variant »

In mid-December 2020, the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry announced that it had banned travel to and from nine countries due to the looming new COVID-19 strain, including the UK, South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Iran, and Japan

Top officials from the Kurdistan Region Crisis Cell met on Wednesday to decide on the reopening of schools in the Kurdish Autonomous Region, which were closed in early November due to the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases

The cell has decided to leave the 12th Allowing students to Return to Classes on January 1, according to government spokesman Jotiar Adil, schools will remain open for the remaining classes until Jan. Closed March 2021

The educational intuitions in the autonomous region were initially closed in February 2020 with the appearance of the COVID-19 virus

The decision is made because the Kurdistan region has seen fewer daily infections and low mortality rates in the past few weeks

The Iraqi government on Wednesday added new countries that have registered cases of the new COVID-19 variant to its travel ban list, which was published back in late December

The Iraq Crisis Cell announced its expanded list in a statement. The new countries include Austria, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Spain, Brazil, the USA, India and Zambia

Baghdad had previously restricted travel to and from eight countries, including the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Iran, South Africa, Australia and Japan

Iran and the Netherlands in particular were removed from the list, although the countries had announced cases of the new variant

Iraq has seen more than 605 people since the pandemic broke out early last year000 COVID-19 cases and more than 12000 deaths recorded The figures also include those in the autonomous region of Kurdistan

Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Regional Government of Kurdistan, Erbil