"The situation is moving from bad to worse," Saman Barzani said in televised statements.

According to Anadolu News Agency he said that every infected person is now transmitting the infection to two other people.

"This indicates that the pandemic is not under control," he said.

Barzani said 26 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kurdistan region on Sunday.

The minister went on to add that the toll in the region now stands at 1,222 cases, including 24 deaths, and 448 recoveries.

On Saturday, the Iraqi Health Ministry said the total infections in the country reached 11,098, including 318 deaths.

The pandemic has claimed more than 400,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since originating in China last December.

The US, Brazil and Russia are currently the world’s worst-hit countries.

Over 6,9 million cases have been reported worldwide, while more than 3.09 million people have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

Reporter’s code: 50101