Number of coronavirus cases in Iraq rises to 71

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - The number of novel coronavirus cases in Iraq rose to 71 Tuesday, according to the country's health minister.

Jaffar Allawi told a news conference that Iraq is successfully fighting the virus compared to France, Italy and the U.K. and said the country has received support from China.

Iraq reported its seventh coronavirus death Monday and the first in the southeastern city of Basra.

The virus has spread to 110 countries since being detected in China in December, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.

The global death toll has surpassed 4,000 with more than 113,000 confirmed cases, the majority in China.

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, some governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with many countries including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea.