Covid-19: deaths and hospitalizations multiply in Tunisia
Tunisia has declared more than 600 cases of COVID-19 and 25 deaths AFP / File
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Tunisia needs help
" in the face of Covid-19, said Dr Yves Souteyrand, WHO representative on the spot.
The country of just 12 million people records more than 100 deaths per day, the highest death rate on the African continent and in the Arab world.
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Tunisia is one of the countries which transmits the most information relating to Covid-19 to the WHO, which explains the higher level of alert than for its neighbors.
However, the country is in a very worrying situation, with more than 100 deaths per day, 16,000 in total, while until August 2020, there were not even 50.
According to Dr Yves Souteyrand, representative of the World Health Organization, this explosion in the number of deaths and hospitalizations can be explained by the lifting of the strict measures that had been taken very early last year.
Measures which were not extended by the authorities because of their very important socio-economic consequences.
On the vaccination side, Tunisia remains average compared to its neighbors, but still too little to contain the spread of the Delta variant.
Only 11% of the population has had one dose, and 5% two doses.
Responding to the call for help launched by the WHO, France has announced the delivery of more than a million doses of vaccines as well as essential medical equipment.
At the same time, Paris has also restricted travel between the two countries, placing Tunisia on its red list of areas at risk.
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Tunisia
Coronavirus
Health and medicine