07/31/2021 Iraq (International Christian Concern) –  ISIS decimated Iraq and just as the country was turning towards recovery, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and complicated recovery even more. One of Mosul’s major hospitals announced that they had reached capacity and could not accept any more COVID-19 patients.

When ISIS was highly active, the infrastructure in the country took a large hit. Several public buildings were converted to ISIS base camps or utilized for administrative purposes. Homes and places of work were damaged during the fighting. All of this left the country ill-prepared for a health crisis such as the pandemic.

Iraq currently faces a third wave as the Delta variant is spreading rapidly across the country, hitting record-high infection rates. “The bell of danger is ringing, as a result of a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus infections,” said the statement announcing al-Shifa hospital’s capacity limit.

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