Fourteen isolation wards are under development in Iraq as Mena case tally crosses 2.58 million-mark
The number of Covid-19 cases in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region crossed 2,582,481 on 28 October, according to Worldometers data collated by MEED.
Countries in the GCC comprise 35.7 per cent (922,621) of all cases, while Iran makes up 22.5 per cent (581,824) of the 2.58 million infections.
Wider Mena nations account for 41.7 per cent (1,078,036) of all infections. Among these countries is Iraq, where case numbers have grown by 31.6 per cent between 28 September and 28 October.
To date, Iraq has confirmed 459,908 cases of Covid-19, with 388,081 recoveries and 10,724 deaths.
Earlier this week, an isolation ward developed in partnership between the Karbala Governorate and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) opened in Iraq.
Constructed by UNDP and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid), the 20-bed ward is part of the Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Karbala, known for its religious sites, and will serve a catchment area of approximately one million people.
The ward is one of 14 currently being established across Iraq by UNDP, nine of which are funded by Usaid.
Another 20-bed facility in neighbouring Najaf will serve approximately 100,000 people.
Isolation wards are being established in Babil, Basra, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Dohuk, Fallujah, Kirkuk, Missan, Mosul, Najaf, Ramadi and Tikrit.
Other measures under the UNDP’s response package to help the Iraqi government manage the pandemic include increasing the testing capacity of laboratories, providing personal protective equipment to healthcare workers and carrying out assessments to establish post-pandemic recovery strategies.
