United Nations office confirms case of infection of family member of an individual who died from coronavirus

United Nations office confirms case of infection of family member of an individual who died from coronavirus

North-Press Agency

On Friday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Syria confirmed a suspected case in the family of a person who died after being infected with coronavirus in Qamishli National Hospital in northeastern Syria early this month.

 

The Damascus-based office stated in a report that the World Health Organization (WHO) presented information on April 16th indicating that a 53-year-old man from the city of Hasakah had been to Qamishli National Hospital on the 27th of March and died on

April 2nd.

 

"The result of the patient's COVID-19 test was later reported as positive, and another family member is also currently reported to be in hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 and test results are still pending," the office added.

The United Nations Office also expressed its concern about an outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic in high populated areas, notably in the governorates, camps, and war-torn areas in Syria.

 

The office’s report also said that areas of concern are “Damascus / Rif Dimashq, Aleppo and Homs, and that those who live in camps in northeastern Syria and collective shelters throughout the country, in addition to other areas, including Deir ez-Zor, where hostilities may be ongoing, which makes collecting samples more difficult."

 

Moreover, it explained that about 1,200 tests have been conducted by the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) in Damascus, up till April 15th, 19 of which were from Deir ez-Zor and 17 from the governorate of Hasakah, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.

 

Yesterday, Friday, the Health Board of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria blamed the World Health Organization for the existence or spread of coronavirus in its regions, accusing the organization of "concealing a suspected case without informing the Autonomous Administration, which is responsible for managing these areas."

 

"We were notified, late and suddenly, by the World Health Office outside Syria," the Kurdish Red Crescent said in a statement on Friday explaining that the Regional Office of the World Health Organization notified them of this on Thursday, in the presence of the Health Board in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.