Syria could have 2 million cases of coronavirus by Aug. 31
Analysts believe there could be up to 2 million coronavirus cases in Syria, but the authorities are no way near reimposing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Wesam Kanaan tried to get his colleague's father admitted to a hospital in Damascus Aug. 13, but to no avail. The 80-year-old man who had contracted the coronavirus died the following morning.
“We received a call from a colleague asking us to help her with her 80-year-old father. He was a coronavirus patient and she felt that he needed to go to a hospital immediately,” said Kanaan, a Syrian journalist and writer.
He told Al-Monitor, “We reached out to several public and private hospitals, but it was an impossible mission even though we used our contacts from high-profile artists and figures.”
The Syrian government claims that the coronavirus cases in the country stood at 1,764 on Aug. 17, with 425 recovered cases and 68 deaths. But many signs indicate that the real numbers are much higher.
