ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine will be made available for children aged 12 and above in Iraq, the Ministry of Health said on Monday as students return to school and hundreds of new infections are reported daily. Priority will be given to high-risk groups within the age range, the ministry said in a statement. Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are witnessing an upsurge in coronavirus cases that could lead to devastating consequences. Both areas are registering high numbers of infections and deaths. Iraq last week warned of a new strain spreading through the country and urged people to get vaccinated. A third wave of the coronavirus hit Iraq in late June, with record-high numbers of daily infections. The surge contributed to an increased demand for vaccines that later dropped as the infection rate slowed. Iraq reported 1,046 new coronavirus cases and 32 deaths on Sunday, according to the health ministry. Since the start of the pandemic, it has recorded 2,055,248 cases and 23,170 deaths.
