Lebanon: first case of coronavirus in a Palestinian refugee camp

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The small country which shelters several hundreds of thousands of refugees fears the spread of the epidemic in the overcrowded camps.

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According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), it is a Palestinian refugee who settled in Lebanon after leaving Syria in war. She lives in the Wawel camp, better known as the “Galillee camp”, near Baalbek, in the Bekaa valley, in eastern Lebanon.

The patient, diagnosed postive of the coronavirus , was transferred to the public hospital Rafic Hariri in the capital, said Unrwa on Tuesday evening, who will assume the medical costs of the patient.

The camp was closed on Tuesday evening. Entrances and exits are strictly prohibited. The camp population was called upon to remain confined and to avoid any gathering.

Screening tests in the camp and the surrounding area

According to a 2017 census, at least 2,000 refugees are believed to be living in this camp. But according to the UN agency, they would be much more. In this country, which officially hosts 174,000 refugees (up to an estimated 500,000), NGOs fear the spread of the virus in overcrowded camps.

A team of medical experts is to go to the camp Wednesday to "  conduct tests  " for Covid-19 screening, said Unrwa in a statement. The patient's family and those who have visited her will be screened, said the official Lebanese news agency ANI. Tests will also be carried out on a sample of more than 50 people randomly selected "  in the camp and its surroundings  ".

Lebanon has officially listed 677 people with the new coronavirus, including 21 deaths across the country.

(with AFP)

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