Explosions in Beirut: WHO warns of stricken hospitals

Nine days after the disaster, the World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm. Among the 55 medical structures evaluated by the UN organization in Beirut, more than half are out of service including three of the main hospitals in the capital, said, Wednesday, August 12, Richard Brennan, WHO regional director of emergencies, during of a press conference in Cairo.

After evaluation, "we know that a little over 50% of these establishments are out of service" because of the gigantic explosion of August 4, said Richard Brennan, WHO regional director of emergencies, at a conference press release in Cairo.

Three of Beirut's main hospitals are affected, and three others are operating only at reduced capacity, he said. "It means we have lost 500 beds."

Mr. Brennan called on the authorities and their partners to "restore the capacities of these establishments as soon as possible" to meet the needs of the country in order to also cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and other medical emergencies.

#BeirutExplosion has left hospitals dealing with the added of trauma cases requiring intensive care along with the existing burden # COVID19 caseload, which further limits the response capacity of hospitals in #Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/RjR54s2h7b

On August 4, a gigantic explosion, caused by a fire in a warehouse where an enormous quantity of ammonium nitrate was stored, devastated entire districts of the Lebanese capital. It resulted in the death of at least 171 people and injured more than 6,500, in a country plagued by an unprecedented economic crisis.

Hospitals, already saturated, were overwhelmed by the influx of wounded and several suffered significant damage. Nursing staff have died while on duty or have died of their injuries.

According to Iman Shankiti, WHO representative for Lebanon, intensive care units and spare beds are occupied by the seriously injured. The explosion combined with the pandemic will have an "impact on the capacity of hospitalization in Lebanon", in particular in the intensive care units, according to her.

The pandemic is accelerating

On Tuesday, a daily record of contamination with the new coronavirus was recorded in Lebanon: 309 cases and seven deaths. In total, 7,121 cases, including 87 deaths, since February, according to a latest official report.

The Covid-19 pandemic was first brought under control, but cases started to rise again after the reopening of Beirut international airport on July 1 and the gradual lifting of containment measures.

The government had decreed a two-stage provisional reconfinement at the end of July, but had canceled this measure after the explosion at the port.

With AFP

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