Iraq records over 1,000 coronavirus cases for first time: ministry

FILE PHOTO: A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), who volunteered to work in the cemetery, wears a protective suit as he hangs masks and gloves to dry them after sterilization at the new Wadi Al-Salam cemetery, which is dedicated to those who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the outskirts of the holy city of Najaf, Iraq May, 25. 2020.REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

Iraq recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time on Friday, with its total approaching 10,000 confirmed cases, the health ministry said.

At least 285 people have died of COVID-19 in Iraq, it said.

It recorded 1,006 new cases on Friday, out of a total of 9,846 overall. The cases have tripled in the space of around three weeks.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, John Davison)