My Latest: Syria is facing a COVID-19 catastrophe | "A worrying rise in daily deaths and infections, especially in Damascus, has left Syria facing what could be its biggest challenge yet"
mei.edu/publications/s…
mei.edu/publications/s…
For a country battling economic turmoil, widespread instability, and heavy sanctions, the outcome looks increasingly bleak. As hospitals overflow with COVID-19 patients, the battered Syrian health system is working at maximum capacity & struggling to cope with the pandemic.
COVID-19 has been shrouded in secrecy in Syria and official numbers have been consistently low due to the general lack of testing, while all information has been required to be channeled through the Ministry of Health
The medical sector is in desperate need of emergency assistance and personal protective equipment (PPE), but the scale of Syria’s economic crisis has prevented a serious lockdown — put simply, the country cannot afford to shut down.
As the bodies pile up, it remains to be seen how a nearly broken country can get through this pandemic without some form of serious international medical support.
