Support emergency health interventions to respond to COVID-19 epidemic in Iraq The epidemic of SARS CoV 2 was declared to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020. On 11 February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed an official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus: COVID-19. and on 11 March, WHO declared the disease as a pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people from almost all countries in the world. As of 2nd of June 2020, COVID-19 has globally infected 6,194,533 people, spanning across countries, states, and territories. The number of deaths attributed to the illness is 376 320. As of 2nd June 2020, Iraq has recorded 7, 387 confirmed cases and 235 COVID-19 related deaths, i.e with a case fatality rate of 3.2%. Many of the confirmed cases are said to have recently returned from Iran, the spread with local transmission might pose more risk among the Iraqi people and the health system that has been overburdened over the past two decades.  

UN agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA are working closely with the Ministry of Health and various departments of health as well as health partners to support epidemic preparedness, establishing coordination mechanisms, infectious-disease epidemic response activities. Shortly after the confirmation of the first few cases, the government along with WHO and other UN Agencies developed a comprehensive consolidated country strategic preparedness and response plan against COVID-19. The strategy provided detail plan of actions and needs that are structured into nine pillars: Pillar 1 - Country Level Coordination Pillar 2 - Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Pillar 3 – Surveillance Pillar 4 - Points of Entry (POE) Pillar 5 - National Laboratory System Pillar 6 - Case management and continuity of essential services Pillar 7 - Infection Prevention and Control Pillar 8 - Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 outbreak and Pillar 9 - Logistics, procurement, and supply management.

This project, through the support of UNOCHA, intends to provide all-round technical and resource support to the Iraq public health system in order to support emergency health interventions against potential COVID-19 and any other emerging outbreaks/epidemics/pandemics. The project will focus on the strategic priority against COVID-19 related to Limit human-to-human transmission and protect individuals from exposure to COVID-19. This is through strengthening country-level coordination in the provision of critical COVID-19 supplies and equipment including PPE and medical supplies improving national capacity on risk communication and community engagement enhancing national capacity for surveillance and standard case management improving national capacity on Infection Prevention and Control ensure the continuation of essential health and nutrition services especially life-saving services strengthening national capacity to address mental health and psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 awareness creation among the general public on the disease and to ensure access to information on services and practices that improve the health and nutritional status of the project beneficiaries. 

Apart from the general coordination between the MoH and the UN agencies involved in the consortium project, the inter-agency coordination will be maintained through clearly defining the division of work. The WHO will provide technical guidance and response initiatives including mental health services. WHO will also procure and supply necessary medical supplies and equipment for infection prevention and control (IPC), case management in health facilities that are managing COVID-19 cases. While UNICEF will mainly enhance the risk communication and IPC among the women and children particularly attending Non-COVID managing health facilities. Besides this, the UNFPA will ensure IPC services in the health facilities providing maternal and child health facilities.