Damascus \u2013 United Nations undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said last Monday (30) that the ten cases of COVID-19 that have been confirmed in Syria, including one death, are but \u201cthe tip of the iceberg.\u201d In a briefing to the Security Council members, Lowcock warned about \u201ca devasting impact\u201d on vulnerable communities across Syria.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll efforts to prevent, detect and respond to COVID-19 are impeded by Syria\u2019s fragile health system.\u201d Lowcock added that only around half of the hospitals and primary healthcare centers were fully functional at the end of last year.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the efforts are impeded by high levels of population movement, challenges to obtaining supplies such as protective equipment and ventilators, and by the difficulties of implementing isolation and protective measures in areas of displacement, with high population density and low levels of sanitation services.<\/p>\n
He added that over half the Syrian population has been forced to flee their homes. More than 11 million people inside Syria require humanitarian assistance, including nearly 5 million children; nearly 8 million people do not have reliable access to food; and 500,000 children are chronically malnourished.<\/p>\n
*Republished from RTP \u2013 R\u00e1dio e Televis\u00e3o de Portugal<\/em><\/p>\n Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n