BAGHDAD, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Monday 3,599 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 699,088.
It also reported 22 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,428, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 3,708 to 639,639.
A total of 6,881,821 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 35,578 done during the day.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Minister of Health said, in a video posted on the ministry's website, that the ministry would launch an electronic platform to distribute vaccines to citizens across the country, including the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Citizens can enter the platform through their national cards to choose the type of vaccine they want, al-Tamimi said, adding that the vaccine would be free of charge.
He also said that the ministry has allocated 605 health centers to distribute vaccines throughout Iraq.
Iraq said it will receive a shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines on Monday evening.
Iraq has taken a series of measures to curb the recent rise in infections after the Ministry of Health announced on Feb. 15 the detection of a new strain of coronavirus characterized by faster transmission and a higher level of severity.
The Iraqi National Board for Selection of Drugs has approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm and Britain's AstraZeneca vaccines to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem