HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images
5 May 2021
BAGHDAD (AP) Iraq’s vaccine roll-out had been faltering for weeks. Apathy, fear and rumors kept many from getting vaccinated despite a serious surge in coronavirus infections and calls by the government for people to register for shots.
It took a populist Shiite cleric’s public endorsement of vaccinations and images of him getting the shot last week to turn things around.
Hundreds of followers of Muqtada al-Sadr are now heading to clinics to follow his example, underscoring the power of sectarian loyalties in Iraq and deep mistrust of the state.
“I was against the idea of being vaccinated. I was afraid, I didn’t believe in it,” said Manhil Alshabli, a 30-year-old Iraqi from the holy city of Najaf. “But all this has changed now.”
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Vaccinations In Iraq As Official Reassures On Safety
At Baghdad s Al-Wasity hospital, some Iraqis are turning up to get their COVID-19 vaccine jabs but many in the country remain skeptical about getting vaccinated.
At Baghdad s Al-Wasity hospital, some Iraqis are turning up to get their COVID-19 vaccine jabs but many in the country remain skeptical about getting vaccinated.
Rumours and fear have kept many Iraqis - including medical doctors - from adhering to government calls to get vaccinated amid the country s most severe virus wave since the start of the pandemic.
Iraq s Health Ministry introduced a host of new measures to push vaccine rollout, but these have confused and angered a reticent Iraqi public.
Baghdad hospital fire kills 82 people dailynews.lk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailynews.lk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
At least 82 killed in massive Baghdad hospital fire, ministry says
At least 82 people died in a hospital fire Saturday night in Iraq’s capital city of Baghdad, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Sunday.
Another 110 people were injured in the blaze at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, according to ministry spokesman Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna.
The fire started after oxygen tanks exploded, two health officials at the hospital told CNN.
Social media videos showed a chaotic scene as firefighters scrambled to put out the blaze and health workers tried to evacuate patients. People from all over Iraq are referred to the hospital in southeastern Baghdad, including many with Covid-19.