Iraqi FM Tests Positive for COVID-19

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has tested positive for COVID-19 but “is recovering and will continue his work soon,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said on Sunday. “We confirm that the minister’s health condition is good and he is recovering, and he will continue his work and activities soon,” said the spokesman. The statement came after reports that Hussein was absent from a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Kuwait due to the virus. The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 5,582 new coronavirus cases and 15 new deaths from the pandemic on Sunday. Iraq’s effective reproduction rate (R), the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual, is, as of January 26, estimated at about 1.36, having dropped from a high of 2.51 on January 12. About 15.23% of Iraqis are considered fully vaccinated.