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Syria Reports First Case of COVID-19, UOSSM Expects Parabolic Jump In Cases

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Toronto, Canada- This weekend the Syrian Government reported their first case of COVID-19 in Damascus (not including Northern Syria). UOSSM projects a significantly higher number of cases that have gone unreported. Over 80% of the medical infrastructure in Syria is operating at a limited capacity and COVID-19 testing kits are extremely inaccessible.

UOSSM predicts a parabolic jump of cases in North Western Syria in the next two weeks. The medical system definitively does not have the capacity to cope with the influx. The UN reports that there are 4,178,480 people in North Western Syria, living in densely populated conditions with little access to healthcare. In Idlib (pop. 3.5+ million) there are 201 ICU beds and only 95 ventilators. 100% of the ventilators are currently in use and not available to treat COVID-19. In North Western Syria there is currently only one PCR Lab. In the past 12 months alone, 85 medical facilities have been attacked and most are currently not functional. The medical infrastructure cannot handle the existing population needs let alone a wide spread pandemic. Medical staff suffer from a shortage of masks, gloves, gowns, disinfectant, thermal scanners and other medical supplies.

Years of war and malnutrition have left many people’s immune systems compromised and the entire population susceptible to drastically higher mortality rates. It is predicted that the transmission rates will be dramatically higher than global averages due to densely populated IDP camps and multiple families living in the same dwelling.

“The corona virus will spread through refugee camps like wildfire. The large geriatric population and those with chronic conditions (asthma, cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, etc.) are expected to have a very low probability of survival. The international community must make a fair allocation of personal protective equipment and testing kits for Northern Syria.” –Said Dr. Hussam Al Fakir, Chairman of UOSSM International

UOSSM’s response:

  • UOSSM’s mobile clinics have made it a top priority to visit communities and educate the population on social distancing, hygiene practices and steps if people are symptomatic.

  • UOSSM has nurse/staff in front of medical facilities to screen patients and direct them to the right area.

  • UOSSM has asked all health workers to attend the WHO online course “Introduction to Emerging Respiratory Viruses, Including Novel Coronavirus”.

  • UOSSM’s technical team has trained all health workers in UOSSM PHC centres on the detection of suspected cases, handling of cases, referral of cases, and reporting.

  • UOSSM is working in close collaboration with the Idlib Health Directorate to implement a ‘COVID-19 Response Plan’. A few days ago, the Idlib Health Directorate announced the opening of an epidemic surveillance laboratory to carry out PCR tests to identify Covid-19 (testing kits currently unavailable).

Media inquiries and interviews please contact :

Name: Avi D'Souza
Director Of Communications, UOSSM Intl.
Phone: (647) 528-5029
Email: press@uossm.org