Some Iraqis say their lingering symptoms after contracting the coronavirus have improved thanks to a traditional Chinese medicine treatment known as cupping. Patients in the central Iraqi city of Najaf are among those undergoing the procedure, where scratches are made on their backs before glass cups are placed over the lesion to extract small amounts of blood. While some of those who underwent the therapy on December 10, 2020, said cupping helped reduce body pain, medical practitioners remain sceptical about use of the method for treating the effects of infectious diseases such as Covid-19.