MECC Coronavirus (COVID 19) Weekly Report

SYRIA: COVID-19

Humanitarian Update No. 43

Reporting period: from 11 to 17 Jan 2021

          Coronavirus cases: 13036          Active cases: 5656          Recovered: 6548          Deaths: 832 [1]

HIGHLIGHTS

• In GoS-controlled areas of the country,(as of 17 January), the Syrian Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 13036 Laboratory-confirmed cases, 832 fatalities, and 6548 Recoveries.

• 13036 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported by the Syrian MoH : 2464 in Damascus; 2057 in Homs; 2025 in Aleppo; 1480 in Lattakia; 1401 in Rural Damascus; 955 in Tartous; 919 in Dar’a; 798 in Sweida; 606 in; Hama; 235 in Quneitra; 54 in Deir-Ez-Zor; 35 in Al-Hasakeh and 7 in Ar-Raqqa.

• In NES, as of 9 January, there have been 8,227laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NES, comprising 6,786active cases, 1,158recoveries and 283deaths. Seven hundred sixty-one of all confirmed cases (9per cent of total) have been amongst health workers.

• In NWS, as of 12 January, 20,717 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported, with 358 deaths and 14,000 recoveries. Among cases, 12,865 are males (62.1 per cent) and 7,753 females (37.4%). Among the cases, mean age of the cases is 37.4 years, 49 cases are under five years old, and 1,922 (9.7per cent) cases are over 60 years old. Of all cases, 2,618 (12.6per cent) are healthcare and associated workers.

PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

• During the reporting period, UNICEF integrated risk communication, community engagement (RCCE), messaging with the distribution of 12,000 soap bars in Homs,  Hama  and  Tartous  and  Lattakia.  UNICEF  further  supported  awareness-raising  mobile  teams  in  Homs Governorate, reached 11,835 people, and distributed IEC materials in Aleppo and Deir-Ez-Zor and reached over 27,000 people awareness-raising  session  in  Aleppo,  Homs  and  Deir-Ez-Zor. A  partner also  launched  a  mass  media  campaign, utilizing billboards, social media, and SMS to reach one million people.

• WHO continued to support capacity building of surveillance teams, including through a three-day workshop to train 30 MoH officers on the analysis, interpretation and presentation of surveillance data, and on monitoring COVID-19 cases and calculating indicators, among other topics.

• WHO supported further  training  for  laboratory  technicians  in  Aleppo,  Lattakia,  Homs  and  Rural  Damascus,  in  addition  to  training  for  five laboratory  technicians from  Al-Hasakeh  on  molecular  biology  COVID-19  testing  and  biosafety  biosecurity.  A  GeneXpert machine has also been  delivered to Qamishli hospital with an installation team scheduled to operationalize it in the last week of December. Furthermore, WHO supported the maintenance of PCR systems.

• During the reporting period, in addition to water trucking and continued operation and maintenance of WASH infrastructure across the country, UNICEF completed the rehabilitation of WASH facilities at Drikeesh National Hospital in Tartous. UNICEF has supported light rehabilitation of WASH systems in 15 quarantine and isolation facilities, including Al-Hol and Dweir quarantine centre.

• WHO supported training for 150 healthcare workers on case management in Dar’a, Damascus and Rural Damascus, including on ventilator management.

• In the reporting period, a COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics Working Group comprising the Logistics Cluster, WFP, WHO, UNICEF, OCHA, and other health partners was also established to lay the groundwork for delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine and to build long-term pandemic logistics preparedness  capacity.

• In NWS, during the reporting period, almost 233,918 travelers were screened with temperature checks within the 7 POEs through  the  medical  staff  of  WHO  implementing  partners,  of  which  174  travelers  were  COVID-19  suspected  cases  that were referred to the COVID-19 Community Based Treatment Centers (CCTCs). An additional 946 suspected cases were referred  to  the  CCTCs  and  the  referral  hospitals  from  other  health  facilities  inside  NWS  through  the  COVID-19  referral system.

• In NWS, a total of 1513 cases(7.3 per cent) were reported to be among health care workers (physicians, dentists, nurses, and  various  medical  technicians),  and  another 1105(5.3per  cent)cases  are  other  staff  working  in  healthcare facilities/community health workers.

• In NES, five Rapid Response Team (RRTs)  are  active  in  Al-Hasakeh,  five  in  Ar-Raqqa  and  four  in  Deir-Ez-Zor,  while  Menbij/Kobane  is  covered  from  Aleppo; however, the majority of samples are collected by 24 RRTs operating under a parallel sample collection system supported by local authorities and humanitarian partners. More than 8,000 suspected COVID-19 cases were investigated during the reporting period within 24 hours of an alert received. WHO supported the transport of approximately 2,000 suspected case specimens to the central laboratories.[2]

Lebanon: COVID-19

Humanitarian Update No. 40

Reporting period: from 11 to Jan 18 2021

Coronavirus cases: 252,812          Deaths: 1,906          Recovered: 153,038

Director of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Firass Abiad speaks during an interview with AFP at his office inside the coronavirus department in the capital Beirut, on July 28, 2020. photo credit: AFP / ANWAR AMRO

Highlights

• Lebanon announced a tightening of its lockdown, introducing a 24-hour curfew from the 14th of January as COVID-19 infections overwhelm its medical system.

• Citizens were barred from going to supermarkets and had to rely on delivery.

• The new measures also include stricter procedures at the airport for passengers arriving from Cairo, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Istanbul and Adana.

• Lebanon's top COVID-19 expert, Dr. Firass Abiad warned of tough weeks ahead after a dramatic surge of virus deaths and cases in the country. Yet he sees a ‘bright light’ at the end of the tunnel.

One of the hospitals treating patients in the their cars, photo credit: France 21

• During this reporting period, the average number of cases per day dropped to 4,474.

• The situation in the country is so bad that the Minister of Public Health contracted the virus and forcing him to the hospital.

• It has been reported that hospitals started treating patients in their cars due to the inability to find beds.

• Lebanon finalized a deal with Pfizer on the 17th of January for 2.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The Pfizer vaccines will be complemented with another 2.7 million doses from the U.N.-led program to provide for countries in need.

• The National Operations Chamber, and based on Decision No. 26 / M on 11/1/2021, issued the electronic guide for submitting a request for a special exit permit under the general closure from 01/14/2021 to 01/25/2021 for the persons included.

COVID-19 statistics in the Middle East, photo credit: WHO

• The Minister of Health signed the first batch of financial dues for government and private hospitals for treating Corona patients, after the examination of hospital bills by the company concerned had ended. Expenses are covered by the World Bank.

[1]  Microsoft power MOH,17 Jan 2021

[2] OCHA, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC COVID-19 Response Update No.14