Senior Iraqi trade advisor tests positive for COVID-19

BAGHDAD

A senior advisor to Iraq's trade minister has tested positive for the coronavirus, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The advisor was hospitalized in the capital Baghdad and he did not contact with Mohammed Hashim al-Ani, the minister, nor other officials recently, the ministry said.

So far, 506 people have been infected with COVID-19 in Iraq, 131 have recovered and 43 people lost their lives.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows over 621,600 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll above 28,650 and over 135,750 recoveries.