Erbil Governor Firsat Sofi died on Wednesday in Turkey where he was receiving treatment for Covid-19 as the World Health Organisation warned Iraq is set for a large rise in cases over the winter.
Mr Sofi, 42, was the head of the Covid-19 Task Force in the Kurdish city and led efforts to combat the pandemic since March.
The official in the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region assumed office in mid-October 2019, making him the 41st governor of Erbil, after serving as a member of the Kurdistan Parliament.
Mr Sofi also used to be a lecturer at Erbil Polytechnic University.
Kurdish and Iraqi flags were flown half-staff at governorate building in Erbil in honour of Mr Sofi.
Tributes poured in as many offered their condolences to his family and loved ones.
“Dr Firsat was a humble patriot and a dutiful public servant, who faithfully carried out his duties as Governor of Erbil and worked tirelessly in his service to the public," said a statement by the Kurdish Regional Government.
The late governor will be repatriated to the Kurdistan Region and will be laid to rest in the city of Erbil, said the statement.
“He was passionate, energetic and genuine. He supported reform and wanted to bridge the gap between people and government. He fought Covid-19 at the front line,” said Dlawer Alaaldeen, founding president of the Erbil-based Middle East Research Institute.
But Iraq will witness an increase in coronavirus cases as the winter season hits causing more deaths across the country, the World Health organisation warned this week.
The country’s healthcare, among other infrastructure, has been stretched by years of sanctions, war and neglect, one among several problems that spurred mass anti-government protests in recent months.
“As temperatures will drop and the winter season approaches Iraq will see a rise in the number of coronavirus cases,” Adham Ismail, WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq said during a press conference.
“We will continue to raise awareness, provide medical services and help citizens until the crisis is over," he said.
Since the outbreak of the virus, earlier this year, Iraq has recorded 521,542 confirmed cases with 11,712 deaths.
The country’s health ministry is recording up to 3,000 daily infected cases.
On Thursday, Iraq reported 2,374 new cases and 39 deaths.
“The recent resurgence of the virus worldwide scaled up the challenge for WHO and the health authorities in Iraq and until a treatment or a vaccine is globally introduced, we will have to maintain our collaboration and joint action to control the spread of the pandemic," he said.
Awareness must be raised "on the importance of mask-wearing, physical distancing, and good hygiene practices,” Mr Ismail said.
Covid-19 around the world in pictures
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A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past a mural in San Francisco, California. Bloomberg -
Shelves in the toilet paper aisle at a Walgreens store sit empty in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. AP Photo -
A man wearing a face mask leaves a dog park in the Arts District amid the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
This aerial view shows people waiting in line in their cars at a Covid-19 testing site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. AFP -
Vehicles wait to cross the US-Mexico border and enter Ciudad Juarez, amid surging Covid-19 cases in the Mexican border city and the US border city of El Paso, Texas. AFP -
A nurse at Stormont Vail Health System pushes a hospital bed through hallways in Topeka, Kansas. AP -
A doctor visits Covid-19 patients to check their state of health and evaluate their release from the hotel at the Living Place Hotel on November 18, 2020 in Bologna, Italy. Getty Images -
A worker delivers meals to Covid-19 patients who are housed in the Living Place Hotel in Bologna, Italy. Getty Images -
A young woman with a crucifix cries as police use a water cannon to disperse protesters demonstrating against the coronavirus lockdown measures imposed by the German government, close to the Reichstag building in Berlin. AFP -
A woman, wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, walks along the European quarter in Brussels. AP Photo -
A medical worker takes a blood sample in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo -
A Swiss army soldier, right, wearing personal protective equipment helps hospital's physiotherapists to treat a Covid-19 patient in the intermediate care units of Geneva University Hospital. AP -
Four youngster riding on one scooter roll down a popular street, in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey is re-introducing a series of restrictions, including partial weekend lockdowns. AP Photo -
A man holding a cross and a Bible preaches about Christianity backdropped by the Royal Exchange, back centre, and the Bank of England, at left, during England's second coronavirus lockdown in the City of London. AP Photo -
A Christmas tree stands on display in the middle of Leadenhall Market, City of London. AP Photo -
Medical workers and patients are seen in the treatment hall of a temporary hospital in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo -
People paddle on the shores of the Atlantic ocean in Saint Jean de Luz, south-west France. France's health minister says the country is 'progressively getting back in control' of its resurgent epidemic. AP Photo -
Health workers takes care of a patient in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AFP -
A man in protective suit stands next to a mobile testing kiosk outside the Ernakulam district administration headquarters in Kochi, Kerala, India. AP Photo -
A health official collects a swab sample from a man to test for the coronavirus at a village on the outskirts of Bengaluru in south India. AFP -
Pedestrians wearing protective masks wait to cross a road in Shinbashi in Tokyo, Japan. Bloomberg -
Workers wearing face masks pour ice on the clams at a section selling imported seafoods at a supermarket in Beijing. AP Photo -
A group of remand prisoners stage a protest on the roof of the Welikada Remand Prison complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA
Health Minister Hassan Al Tamimi said he will push to increase the country’s testing capacity to help inform officials on how to contain the spread of the virus, the ministry said in a separate statement.
Mr Al Tamimi said the government must set up oxygen factories across the country to ensure supplies for the worst cases, in addition to rolling out a health awareness campaign for the general public.
The pandemic has hit the economy hard as it comes with a slump in oil prices – the main revenue source for the government.
The government announced a lockdown in late May but eased several months later to prevent a total stalling of the economy. While they brought back temporary curfews and restrictions for holidays, the government has resisted calls for another national curb despite rising cases.
