Iraq confirms 3 more deaths from coronavirus

BAGHDAD

Iraq confirmed three more deaths from coronavirus in Baghdad on Sunday, bringing the country's total fatalities to 20, according to the health ministry.

A ministry statement said 19 people tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours, taking the overall infections to 233, while 57 people have recovered from the disease.

As precautionary measures due to the coronavirus, most of Iraq's provinces decided to close their borders, including Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, while some provinces decided to impose a lockdown.

Last week, Baghdad shut down schools and universities for 10 days and banned travel to virus-hit provinces.

The virus, which emerged in Wuhan, China last December, has spread to at least 170 countries and regions around the globe, while the tally of confirmed cases has topped 308,000, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The global death toll is over 13,000, causing a chain reaction as governments place countries on lockdown to stem the spread.

China, Italy, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most-affected countries.

Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of people contracting the virus suffer mild symptoms before making a recovery.

* Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara