No Covid-19 diagnostic equipment in Syria’s northeast Derik
DERIK, Syria (North Press) – The Health Board of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has yet to provide Covid-19 PCR assays. Hospitals rely on medical checkups to determine the patients are in need of care or not.
The Health Committee spokeswoman in Qamishli Rojin Ahmad said no party has provided support in this case.
Despite coronavirus analytical equipment and reagents are not available, medical centers continue working to diagnose for new infections.
“The center has been out of service recently as swap tests (PCR assay) ran out of the center,” Muhammad Khaled, director of Covid-19 testing center in Qamishli said.
“Promises have been given to the Autonomous Administration to provide such items, and we still await them to resume work,” he added.
The suspected cases are admitted to the hospital based on symptoms and chest X-rays, according to Rojin Ahmad.
Ahmad pointed out that the closure of Tel Kocher (al-Ya’rubiyah) border crossing obstructs the arrival of medical stuff to the region and checkpoints of the Fourth Armored Division affiliated with the Syrian government forces also hinders the delivery of medical aids to northeast Syria.
Head of Coronavirus Department at the People’s Hospital in Derik, Alan Ahmad, said they received two coronavirus suspect cases based on X-rays.