Coronavirus: Iraq orders medical students to work at hospitals

Decision by National Security Council comes after sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths

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  Men sit at a traditional cafe in the historic city of Shaqlawah, about 48 kilometres northeast of Erbil, in the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. AFP

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  A mask-clad man stokes burning wood by teapots at a traditional cafe in the historic city of Shaqlawah, about 48 kilometres northeast of Erbil, in the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. AFP

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  Girls attend a Koran class as Palestinians ease the Covid-19 restrictions, in a mosque in Gaza City. Reuters

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  Anti-government demonstrators hold up placards reading in Arabic: 'No trust' during a silent protest in front the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA

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  Saudi movie viewers buy refreshments at VOX Cinema hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after the announcement of easing of lockdown measures. AP Photo

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  A Saudi movie viewer has her temperature taken at VOX Cinema hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after the announcement of easing of lockdown measures. AP Photo

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  A Yemeni pharmacist serves his customers behind a glass shield at a pharmacy in Sanaa, Yemen. AP Photo

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  People sit at a cafe in the capital Rabat, after the authorities eased lockdown measures in some cities. AFP

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  A worker opens Salah El Din mosque's door for prayers, first prayers of Al-Fajr prayer after months of lockdown in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

Iraqi authorities ordered medical students to volunteer at the country’s hospitals after a sharp increase in coronavirus deaths was reported.

The National Security Council made the decision during a Saturday session chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, state media said.

Fifth and sixth-year medical students will be "directed to volunteer to work at hospitals" to support health staff "in the confrontation against the coronavirus pandemic", the council said.

The latest official data on Saturday showed that 101 more people had died from the coronavirus in Iraq, taking the death toll to 1,669. The number of confirmed cases stood at 43,262.

But the pandemic is widely believed to have inflicted far more damage on the population than official figures suggest.

Responding to reports of oxygen-supply shortages, the Health Ministry said on Friday that its cylinder-refilling plant “is doubling its efforts to produce the largest volumes of oxygen to meet hospitals’ needs”.