Iraq confirms 3 new cases of COVID-19

Iraqi Health Ministry on Thursday announced three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 38, including three deaths.

Two of the cases were detected in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk and the third in Wasit province in eastern Iraq, the ministry said in a brief statement.

So far, Iraq has reported 38 COVID-19 cases, with 14 in the capital Baghdad, seven in the province of Kirkuk, five in Sulaimaniyah, four in Najaf, three in Wasit, two in Diyala, and one in each Babil, Maysan and Karbala.

The ministry also reported the death of three people infected with COVID-19, two of which are in Baghdad and one in Sulaimaniyah province in the country's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government decided to rotate the staff members in its institutions by 50 percent to reduce the possibility of infection with the virus, except for the senior officials, and until further notice.

The Iraqi authorities have been taking a series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after cases were confirmed in the country.