Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein wears a protective mask during a a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, 24 June 2020. EPA
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein wears a protective mask during a a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, 24 June 2020. EPA
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein wears a protective mask during a a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, 24 June 2020. EPA
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein wears a protective mask during a a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, 24 June 2020. EPA

Iraq must rise to its Covid-19 challenge


  • English
  • Arabic

In the past month, the world has learned to cope with life under the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, public health measures have yet to become uniform across countries, and the risks to health remain variant depending on geography and politics.

This has become a pressing concern in Iraq, where infection rates have reached unprecedented levels. In February, high-profile cases of coronavirus among Iran’s elite, including in parliament, were symptoms of the severity of the country’s outbreak, which was one of the Middle East’s largest at the time. In the past week, a number of prominent figures have died from coronavirus, including football legend Ahmed Radhi and politician Tawfiq Al Yasiri. Twenty parliamentarians and an additional 28 parliament employees have also contracted the virus.

An Iraqi phlebotomist holds a test tube containing a blood sample of a recovered Covid-19 patient at the blood bank of Iraq's southern city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, on June 24, 2020. AFP
An Iraqi phlebotomist holds a test tube containing a blood sample of a recovered Covid-19 patient at the blood bank of Iraq's southern city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, on June 24, 2020. AFP

That a large number of Iraq’s high-ranking officials have caught the virus speaks to the severity of the situation. Iraq has now entered “a dangerous epidemic phase” according to Health Minister Hassan Al Timimi.

The high rate of infections among elected representatives has led to all parliamentary sessions being cancelled. Hospital staff, however, remain at serious risk. The number of doctors who have reportedly contracted the virus has risen by 83 per cent since last week, according to the Iraqi Medical Association.

Personal protective equipment is scarce, putting medical staff at increased risk of infection. There are also reports of hospitals delaying tests results for their own workers, to avoid having them take sick leave.

The situation places added stress on a healthcare system already rendered vulnerable by decades of sanctions, war and mismanagement. Medical facilities have been targeted repeatedly by extremists. Doctors are also at risk of kidnappings for ransom by criminal networks. Many have fled abroad, fearing for their lives and their families.

Those who remain deserve praise and protection. Instead, their lives are in jeopardy.

One of the great challenges of addressing coronavirus in Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle East, is an epidemic of misinformation amongst the public, and a lack of communication in many countries on how individuals and families can protect themselves.

Many of the challenges brought on by coronavirus require regional solutions. As countries in the Middle East strive to open their borders, reignite their economies and expand their opportunities for regional trade, they must also seek to co-ordinate their health policies and communications strategies. Some steps are already being taken in this regard, as Jordan and Iraq announced on Wednesday a plan to unite their efforts in curbing the pandemic.

Iraq's case shows that in many places, institutional weakness renders a national solution insufficient on its own.

Iraqi officials have ramped up testing capacities, increasing daily screenings from nearly 4,000 people last month to more than 13,000 this week. But these efforts are not enough in a country of nearly 40 million, where one in four people live in poverty and cannot afford to self-isolate.

Baghdad must rise to the challenge, but it also needs solidarity from its neighbours. In the words of the director general of the World Health Organisation Tedros Ghebreyesus, "none of us are safe until all of us are safe. No country can fight this pandemic alone.”

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The biog

Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology

Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels

Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs

Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends

DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20James%20Wan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jason%20Mamoa%2C%20Patrick%20Wilson%2C%20Amber%20Heard%2C%20Yahya%20Abdul-Mateen%20II%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.