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Iraq, hard hit by COVID-19, sets new daily case record

Iraq broke its record for most coronavirus cases in a day Wednesday and the country is far from having enough vaccine doses for its population of around 40 million.

empty Baghdad street
A cyclist with a face mask at the ready rides along an otherwise empty street in the Karrada district of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, on April 9, 2021, during a total curfew imposed by authorities to curb coronavirus cases. — Photo by SABAH ARAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq is experiencing historic highs in daily COVID-19 cases. The country has acquired nearly 400,000 vaccines doses so far, nowhere close to what is needed to inoculate most of its population of around 40 million. 

There were 7,937 new coronavirus infections reported throughout Iraq on Friday, the Ministry of Health said in a news release. The record is Wednesday’s toll of 8,331 cases. Daily cases have been rising since February and are now much higher than the previous highs of around 5,000 a day in September, according to Worldometer. The country has reported 14,641 coronavirus deaths.

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