In the stores and buses of Iraq, masks are rare, even as COVID-19 spreads widely. Vaccines are viewed with suspicion and the sick see hospitals as a last resort.
At Al-Shifaa Hospital in Baghdad, the ramifications are clear.
Half of the 40 intensive care beds are occupied in the department, where irregular beeping from monitors and IV machines is constantly heard.
Photo: AFP
The hospital has been turned into a COVID-19 treatment center since the start of the pandemic and can treat 175 patients.
Since last month, Iraq’s 40 million people have been confronted with a fourth wave of the virus, but unlike other countries, the government has not imposed any restrictions.
Iraq has recorded more than 2.2 million infections and 24,000 deaths since the pandemic began two years ago, but data released by the authorities indicates that infections are now declining to about 2,000 new cases per day.
Fewer than 10 million people in Iraq, about a quarter of the population, have been vaccinated, Iraqi Ministry of Health spokesman Seif al-Badr said, adding that less than 7 million have received two doses, and less than 100,000 have had a booster shot.
In neighboring Iran, 66 percent of its population of 83 million has received two doses.
“About 90 percent of the sick are older than 60,” Al-Shifaa intensive care director Mohammed Salih said. “Most have chronic conditions — diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease.”
Countering misinformation is another priority.
“Most of the pregnant women we admitted in our facility are not vaccinated because they are afraid for their precious babies, that maybe if they take the vaccine it will have an effect” on the infant, said Daniel Uche, a physician with Doctors Without Borders, a charity assisting the hospital.
Salih said that he noticed another trend: “Most of the patients come in only after reaching a critical stage.”
They prefer to stay at home because of “social media” and “rumors” that minimize the gravity of COVID-19 or that raise suspicions about the vaccines, he added.
Those are the latest challenges for a health system crippled by decades of war.
Badr said that the health infrastructure in some provinces “was entirely destroyed” in the war against the Islamic State group jihadists from 2014-2017.
The health budget of the oil-rich country does not even receive 2 percent of government expenditures.
At Al-Shifaa, Farouk Naoum, 75, is leaving hospital after his recovery. He was among the minority of Iraqis vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but was nonetheless infected.
“You have to be careful, very careful,” he said after his month of treatment.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS