The first two cases were registered in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan

42 cases of "Covid-19" among UN employees and their families in Syria

Health workers in Syria during street clearance.

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Forty-two United Nations employees and their family members have been infected with the new Corona virus in Syria, according to a spokesperson for the organization's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the organization, Agence France-Presse yesterday, at a time of increasing the spread of the epidemic in the country, while the first two cases were recorded in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. .

A spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, Jens Larkey, said that about 200 UN employees and their relatives “showed symptoms of Covid-19,” explaining that 42 of them had tested positive for the virus, without specifying the number of UN employees among them or their nationalities. .

Larki indicated that "the other cases are isolated and subject to a 14-day quarantine period," and they are distributed among several UN agencies throughout Syria.

According to Larkey, the injured UN employees showed "mild symptoms", and three of them were evacuated to Beirut for treatment.

Finally, Syria is witnessing a remarkable increase in the number of cases of the epidemic, and as of yesterday, the Ministry of Health recorded 3229 injuries, including 137 deaths.

The ministry indicated earlier that it does not have "the capabilities to conduct public surveys in the provinces."

And Larky expressed his belief that "the real number of injuries exceeds the officially announced number."

"Human Rights Watch" quoted Syrian nurses and doctors in a report published last week that government hospitals ready to deal with COVID-19 cases have exceeded their capacity, while other hospitals do not have the necessary infrastructure.

They attributed this to the unavailability of oxygen bottles, ventilators and beds.

In mid-August, several medical sources reported that the Agence France-Presse reported an increase in the number of people infected and dead due to the virus, especially in Damascus, warning of a "frightening" situation in hospitals crowded with the injured.

Nine years of war have depleted the health system throughout Syria, with the destruction of hospitals and the shortage of medical personnel, and the outbreak of the epidemic exacerbated the situation.

This comes at a time when the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jordan announced, in a statement, that two Syrian refugees in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees were infected with the new Corona virus.

In a statement, "France Press" received a copy, the UNHCR said that it is working closely with the Jordanian Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Syrian Refugees Affairs "after confirming the positive virus test results for two people in Azraq camp," which is about 95 km east of Amman.

She added that “according to the protocol in force, the (injured) refugees were transferred to an isolation site,” noting that “all the individuals who were in contact with them were examined and isolation procedures implemented.

We await the results ».

• About 200 United Nations employees and their relatives "showed symptoms of Covid-19".

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