Iraq virus surge stretches health system after Covid unit fire

Baghdad (AFP) July 14, 2021

Iraq's health ministry reported 9,635 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, the highest figure this month, days after a medical facility fire killed dozens and re-ignited anger over the country's failing health system. Nearly 1.5 million Covid-19 cases have been reported in Iraq since the start of the pandemic, including more than 17,000 deaths, overwhelming hospitals crippled by decades of confl