Thread by @Xy5Z89

-Threade-

#Lebanon #Palestine #Beirut #Coronavirus

A forecast by the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee and obtained exclusively by Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) is that between 70 and 80 per cent of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are susceptible

to Covid-19 infection. Despite this, the evidence suggests that the refugees are facing the pandemic more or less on their own.

As of 5 October, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) the total number of Covid-19 cases among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon was 1,282 with 478 active cases and 31 deaths.

Based on these numbers, the General Director of the Rafic Hariri Government Hospital, Dr Firas Al-Abiad, tweeted

https://mobile.twitter.com/firassabiad/status/1314820467019177984

that the Covid-19 mortality rate among Palestinians in Lebanon is 2.4 per cent, “more than double Lebanon’s 1 per cent rate.”

At the very least, it is estimated that 36,000 Palestinian refugees will need intensive care out of a total population of 224,901, which includes camp residents and Palestinian refugees from Syria, a statistic taken from the Committee’s document.

Given that the mortality risk is higher for those aged 70 and over, around 10,825 Palestinians are already vulnerable. Ten per cent of suspected Covid-19 cases in the camp will test positive, according to projections by the Central Health Crisis Management Unit. In other words,

40,000 camp residents will be afflicted by the virus. Rashidieh Camp is home to 10,000 Palestinian refugees; according to its residents, the safety measures there are better than other camps.

In Nahr Al-Bared Camp, though, young people have volunteered to clean and disinfect the area because, as one resident, Ziad Junaid, claimed, “UNRWA does nothing at all in Nahr Al-Bared.”

In Ein El-Hilweh camp, which has a population of 36,220 in an area of less than two square kilometres, it seems to be business as usual. People from neighbouring areas have apparently been staying in the camp during the general lockdown,

with no obvious social distancing. UNRWA has apparently secured up to $5 million in additional funding, equivalent to $28 per refugee. This is described as being a very small amount in light of the currency’s collapse, especially if the payment is not regular.

There are contradictory reports on the number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. According to UNICEF, there are approximately 192,000, of whom 17,706 are Palestinian refugees from Syria.

According to UNRWA’s website, however, it has 475,000 registered refugees on its books, 180,000 of them registered for residency purposes.

This means that there are about 295,000 refugees in Lebanon who benefit from UNRWA’s services, which contradicts the committee’s figures mentioned above.

STATISTIC:

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