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BEIRUT – (AP) – Coronavirus cases reach worst pandemic levels in a rebel stronghold in Syria – a particularly devastating development in an area where dozens of hospitals have been bombed and doctors and nurses have fled en masse for a decade of war.
The total number of cases seen in Idlib province – an overcrowded enclave with a population of 4 million, many of whom are internally displaced – has more than doubled since early August to more than 61,000 In recent weeks, new daily infections have surpassed 1,500 on several occasions, and authorities reported 34 deaths on Sunday alone – numbers that are still considered underestimates as many infected do not show up. not to the authorities.
The situation has become so dire in the Northwest Province that rescue workers known as the White Helmets who have become famous for digging through the rubble of bombings to find casualties are now mainly transporting coronavirus patients to the hospital or the dead at funerals.
“What is happening is a medical disaster,” the Idlib Doctors Union said this week as it appealed for support from international aid groups.
Idlib faces challenges around the world during the pandemic: Its intensive care units are largely full, there are severe shortages of oxygen and testing, and the vaccination rollout has been slow.
But extreme poverty and the ravages of civil war in Syria made the situation in Idlib particularly dire. Half of its hospitals and health centers were damaged by the bombing, and the health system was on the verge of collapse even before the pandemic. Large numbers of medical personnel have fled the country in search of safety and overseas opportunities. Tens of thousands of its residents live in overcrowded tent camps, where social distancing and even regular hand washing are virtually impossible. And growing violence in the region now threatens to make matters worse.
Large parts of Idlib and the neighboring province of Aleppo remain in the hands of the Syrian armed opposition, dominated by radical groups, including militants affiliated with al-Qaeda who have struggled to respond to the epidemic, which intensified in August, apparently driven by the more contagious variant of the delta. and gatherings for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Cases and deaths have also increased in recent weeks in government-controlled areas and those under the control of US-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the east, but the situation appears to be worse in Idlib, although that it is difficult to measure the true balance sheet. all over.
In response, the political wing of the insurgent group that runs Idlib has closed some markets, forced restaurants to serve only outdoor meals, and delayed the opening of schools for a week.
But most of the residents are day laborers who couldn’t survive if they stopped working, making a full lockdown impossible.
“If they don’t work, they can’t eat,” said Ahmad Said, a resident of Idlib, who added that most people can’t even afford to buy masks.
Moreover, a population that has already suffered so much is often too weary to follow the restrictions that have put people to the test even under easier circumstances.
“It is as if people have gotten used to death,” said Salwa Abdul-Rahman, an opposition activist who reports the events in Idlib. “Those who were not killed by the regime and the Russian airstrikes are now being killed by the coronavirus.”
The vaccination campaign, meanwhile, has been slow, although the arrival of some 350,000 doses of a Chinese vaccine earlier this month could help. According to the World Health Organization, only about 2.5% of Idlib’s population has received at least one injection.
The new virus outbreak also comes amid the most serious increase in violence in Idlib, 18 months after a truce reached between Turkey and Russia who support rival parties in the Syrian conflict brought relative calm. In recent weeks, airstrikes and artillery fire by government forces have left dozens dead and injured.
At al-Ziraa hospital, Dr Muhammad Abdullah says there is no sign that the epidemic has reached its peak yet.
But for some Idlib residents, being infected is the least of their worries.
“We have been through more difficult situations than the coronavirus,” said resident Ali Dalati, walking through a market without wearing a mask. “We are not afraid of the coronavirus. “
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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