Northeast Syria's pandemic response in jeopardy as cases rise, charity warns
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the region's hospitals are grappling with a major shortage of oxygen and testing supplies.
As COVID-19 cases surge in northeast Syria, a severe shortage of oxygen, funding and testing supplies are “putting the region’s COVID-19 response in serious jeopardy,” the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned on Thursday.
New cases in the region "are reaching the highest levels seen to date," the UK-based charity said, even after the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria imposed a 10-day curfew on April 13 to stave off a new wave of the virus.
Since the start of the pandemic, northeast Syria has recorded 15,546 cases, although limited testing capacity means the actual number is likely much higher. The month of April accounts for more than a third of the region’s total caseload, with 5,300 new infections confirmed in recent weeks.
In the past seven days, 46% of coronavirus tests have come back positive in the Kurdish-held enclave bordering Turkey and Iraq. IRC warned the autonomous administration’s only COVID-19 testing lab could soon close due to a shortage of RNA extraction kits.
