Coronavirus in Syria | Over 150,000 infections and nearly 8,000 deaths, and SOHR appeals to WHO to intervene immediately and save millions of Syrians
In late 2019, a new virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and started to spread worldwide, paralyzing life and ravaging the livelihoods of millions of people. According to official statistics, over 74 million people across the world have been infected with COVID-19, of whom 42 million people have recovered, while 1,650,000 died. However, the real number of infections may much greater.
As for Syria, the pandemic has strongly struck almost all Syrian territory and in the following report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tries to shed light on coronavirus outbreak and its consequences throughout the country.
Regime-controlled areas: Nearly 100,000 infections and 6,500 deaths, amid authorities’ routine lies and misinformation
Since the beginning of coronavirus outbreaks in regime-controlled areas in March 2020, regime authorities, as always, have followed their routine policy of lies and misinformation and adopted “timid” precautionary measures. At a time when the pandemic has been widely spreading in all Syrian province where thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths recorded daily, regime authorities should have imposed strict precautionary measures to curb the broad spread of COVID-19. On the contrary, the “Syrian Football Association” announced its decision allowing people to attend football matches in stadiums, where stadiums have experienced unprecedented public attendance that was the largest ever since the beginning of the “Syrian Revolution”. One example, among many, was a match played at Al-Hamdaniyyah stadium which was crammed with some 20,000 people, while regime media praised the event as if it was a “mass festival and victory over terrorism”.
Crowds and gatherings have been not confined to sports and stadiums only, as congestion in front of bread bakeries and petrol stations and in popular markets has helped the outbreak of the virus greatly, especially with the disastrous medical situation throughout regime-held areas.
According to SOHR latest statistics, based on reports obtained from reliable medical sources on the ground in regime-controlled areas, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached nearly 98,000, of whom 38,000 recovered, and 6,500 died. Meanwhile, most of the infection cases and deaths are documented in the provinces of Al-Suwaidaa, Latakia, Tartus, Aleppo, Damascus and Rif Dimashq.
It is worth noting that regime Ministry of Health’ official statistics announced 9,603 infections, of whom 554 people died and 4,548 recovered.
SDF-controlled areas: nearly 34,000 infections and 1,200 deaths
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also tracked and monitored the spread of COVID-19 in areas under the control of Syria Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration, where the region is struggling with disastrous medical situation, along with health directorate’s incapacity to cover such a large number of infections or test all suspected cases showing COVID-19 symptoms. Tens of people therefore died of the virus due to the lack of proper healthcare.
On the other hand, very reliable SOHR sources have confirmed that several medical equipment and test kits, brought in by SDF to areas under their control to contain the spread of coronavirus and detect infections, have been stolen. Meanwhile, the Autonomous Administration have adopted several precautionary measures and imposed frequent partial and full curfews.
According to SOHR latest statistics, also based on reports obtained from reliable medical sources in areas under the control of SDF and the Autonomous Administration, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached nearly 34,000, of whom over 13,000 recovered, and 1,200 died. Meanwhile, most of the infection cases and deaths have beenrecorded in Ain Al-Arab (Kobani), Al-Hasakah, Al-Qamishli and Al-Malikiyyah.
It is worth noting that official statistics announced by Autonomous Administration show 7,581 infections, of whom 241 people died and 1,087 recovered.
Areas held by Turks, factions and jihadists: Limited resources and fears for the lives of millions of civilians in overcrowded geographical area
Health authorities in NW Syria are registering dozens of infected cases, which have become a great concern for civilians living in overcrowded area that resembles a large prison. Meanwhile, humanitarian and medical organizations are providing emergency support with whatever means and resources they have,which cannot contain the huge number of confirmed cases which exceed thousands perhaps
On the other hand, medical staff are working throughout the day, as the pandemic spreads in all cities and most towns and villages, and where more than 260 deaths of coronavirus have been recorded, with nearly 19,000 official infected cases, of which about 9,500 people were recovered. SOHR sources have said that the number of infections is more than the announced figures and may reach may reach twice as many. However, the lack of resources, capacity and the inability to conduct PCR tests for all people who are showing symptoms of coronavirus prevent the detection of a realistic figure for positive cases.
According to SOHR sources, charitable organizations have opened several health quarantine centres and used closed camps and school buildings to provide medical services in Benish, Ma’rat Misrin, Ariha, Jisr al-Shughour, Darkush, Al-Dana, Deir Hassan, Kelley, Hazzano, Kafr Takhareem and Hayr Jamus in Idlib countryside, Dara Azza, Kafr Kermin, Batbou and Al-Atareb in western countryside of Aleppo, amid calls for establishing more quarantine centres in northern Syrian camps to fight the pandemic.
In northern Aleppo countryside in the areas held by Turkish forces and their proxy factions, quarantine centres were established with better potentials than those in Idlib, in the city of Al-Bab, Afrin, Azaz, Al-Ra’i, Janderas and Raju, in addition to the well- equipped hospitals in these areas.
The quarantine centres provide free services, such as food and drinks, in addition to conducting PCR tests and isolating patients until the test results are ready, and the patient’s health is stable. The quarantine centres are also divided into three areas as follows: the orange one is for medical staff, the green for receptions, and the red for the isolation area of infected patients.
While all of these areas are experiencing a severe shortage of medical equipment and procedures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, in terms of the number of beds in hospitals and medical posts as these hospitals contain approximately 400 beds for intensive care, while the population of NW Syria is about 4 million people.
Moreover, the imposed precautionary measures are ineffective, where the majority of the population does not comply with these measures for several reasons:
– Livelihood security.
– The need to go out to work.
– hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are living in overcrowded camps, sharing the same bathrooms, drinking water from communal sources and using communal facilities and services, with little public health awareness which contributed to lack of self-prevention against the spread of the pandemic.
Therefore, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its call for the World Health Organization and the international community to help and provide aid to all Syrian civilians to manage the spread of this pandemic in all Syrian areas, especially as the Syrian regime has lost control over the virus and is in complete denial, misinforming and lying to the world and Syrians about awful and tragic reality of the pandemic in Syria.