IDLIB, Syria — The Syrian civil defense forces known as the White Helmets announced in a Nov. 22 Facebook post that seven people — six men and one woman — had died in hospitals and medical centers dedicated to coronavirus cases in the city of Idlib and its countryside. The bodies were transported for burial to the cities and villages of Kafr Tkharim, Maart Misrin, Killi, Barisha, Sarmin in the Idlib countryside and the city of Darat Izza in western Aleppo.

The White Helmets added that its teams also transported two people infected with the virus and seven others suspected of being infected to quarantine centers in Idlib for treatment.

The Coordinators for Humanitarian Response group said in a Nov. 14 Facebook post, “We express our grave concern about the fate of hundreds of thousands of civilians living in the camps amid the growing infection cases. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the camps is a major and extremely dangerous development for the camp residents, who have been living in dire conditions for years.”

Al-Monitor met with Dr. Maram al-Sheikh, a former health minister in the Syrian Interim Government of the Syrian National Coalition, which manages areas under the control of pro-Turkish factions. He said, “Registered cases are rising every day, bringing the total number of cases to over 13,500 across the opposition-held areas.”