IS SYRIAN REGIME COVERING UP ITS OUTBREAK?

A senior UN humanitarian official on Thursday says reports of Syrian health care facilities filling up and increasing death notices and burials appear to indicate that actual coronavirus cases “far exceed official figures” of 2,440 cases confirmed by the government’s Ministry of Health.

Syrian hospitals are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients have surfaced online, adding to mounting evidence that the Syrian government’s official COVID-19 tally vastly downplays the true extent of the crisis in the war-torn country.

The government’s official coronavirus figures are notably low, with apparently only 2,563 confirmed cases in the country.

However, a report from the dedicated analysis website Syria in Context, citing dozens of sources, estimated that the spread of the virus was far higher, and claimed that there were likely at least 85,000 coronavirus cases in Damascus alone by early August.

Our latest update on the Coronavirus situation in Syria: New satellite images (?@Maxar) show hundreds of burials in presumed COVID-19 section of Najha cemetery outside Damascus between August 4-19. https://t.co/R0RvrShkYM

— Syria in Context (@SyriaContext) August 27, 2020

Syria in Context recently provided additional evidence suggesting COVID-19 is out of control in the country, with satellite photographs appearing to show an expansion to the Najha Cemetery outside of Damascus.

On Saturday, further evidence surfaced when the Syrian Law Journal reported that state-owned hospitals in Syria were becoming “inundated” with coronavirus patients, forcing many to turn to private hospitals that require health insurance.

Given the situation, some doctors have set up voluntary services but are lacking in personal protective equipment (PPE) and proper facilities, said Syria in Context, with one doctor telling the publication that there were no coronavirus testing facilities.

Local Syrian Facebook groups also feature Syrians complaining about the lack of government response and posting death notices for friends and relatives, again suggesting that the outbreak is far less in control than the government claims, The National reported.

The UN has endorsed the suggestion that COVID-19 is spreading out of control in Syria despite the government’s narrative.

On Thursday, Assistant Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs Ramesh Rajasingham said several health facilities suspended operations this month because of capacity issues and staff becoming infected. That included Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, where 65,000 mainly women and children connected to ISIS fighters are detained.

He says both field hospitals at the camp have since resumed operations.

With The AP

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