First case of virus found in Iraq

Iraq announced the discovery of the country's first case of a new virus on Monday in the Shiite city of Najaf.

Iraq's Health Ministry said in a statement a 22-year-old Iranian religious student had tested positive for the coronavirus, adding he had entered the country before Iraq barred Iranians from entering the country last week.

The ministry added the case was discovered after health teams visited pilgrims and students in their homes and identified the suspected case.

The southern city of Najaf, about 170 kilometers from the capital Baghdad, is home to the main seminaries and the most powerful Shiite clerics and is a destination for Shiite pilgrimage, with hundreds of thousands visiting from Iran alone each year.