MECC Coronavirus (COVID 19) Weekly Report

SYRIA: COVID-19

Humanitarian Update No. 40

Reporting period: from 21 to 27 December

Coronavirus cases: 10932 Active cases: 5170 Recovered: 5093 Deaths: 669 [1]

HIGHLIGHTS

In GoS-controlled areas of the country, (as of 26 December), the Syrian Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 10932 Laboratory-confirmed cases, 669 fatalities, and 5093 Recoveries.
10932 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported by the Syrian MoH: 2092 in Damascus; 1732 in Aleppo; 1671 in Homs; 1268 in Rural Damascus; 1137 in Lattakia; 851 in Dar’a; 727 in Sweida; 708 in Tartous; 505 in; Hama; 167 in Quneitra; 35 in Al-Hasakeh; 32 in Deir-Ez-Zor and 7 in Ar-Raqqa.
As of 23December, authorities in Northeast Syria(NES)have reported 7,824 cases, including 263fatalities and1,112recoveries. Healthcare workers have also been affected, with 637reported cases. Currently, the laboratory in Al-Hasakeh is only functional every other day due to limited testing kits.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise steadily in Northwest Syria, with 19,447 confirmed cases as of 20 December – 10,748 cases in the Idleb area and 8,699 in northern Aleppo governorate. The percentage of current cases among medical healthcare workers decreased to nearly 9 percent, encompassing nurses, doctors and midwives, while a further 4 percent are auxiliary workers in the health sector.[2]
Within Syria, the financial requirements for the revised COVID-19 operational response plan are currently estimated at $179 million. Funding remains a major concern with only $77.9 million raised to date. Of immediate and critical priority is $22.4million needed to ensure a regular supply of testing kits, reagents and other laboratory materials as well as COVID-19 and other essential medicines and PPE; $12 million needed to maintain essential WASH services and support in camps, shelters and informal settlements; and $10 million needed to secure a safe learning environment for students.
International commercial passenger flights are ongoing at Damascus International Airport, and resumed from Aleppo, Lattakia and Qamishli airports on 21 December, including international flights.

PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

During the reporting period, WHO supported a workshop to make World AIDS Day, evaluating HIV awareness-raising activities within the context of COVID-19. WHO further supported ongoing awareness campaigns in Lattakia and Tartous schools, including distribution of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials, fabric masks and soaps.
UNICEF integrated Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) messaging with distribution of 12,000 soap bars in Homs, Hama and Tartous and Lattakia. UNICEF further supported awareness-raising mobile teams in Homs Governorate, reaching 11,835 people, and distributed information, education and communication (IEC) materials in Aleppo and Deir-Ez-Zor, in addition to reaching over 27,000 people with awareness-raising session in Aleppo, Homs and Deir-Ez-Zor. Oxfam also launched a mass media campaign, utilizing billboards, social media and SMS, aiming to reach one million people.
During the reporting period, in AlHol camp, RCCE activities focusing on prevention methods and health-seeking behavior, as well as Infant & Young Child Feeding(IYCF), vaccination, and hand washing reaching 500 mothers through community groups and 450 children through recreational sessions.
In Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa, RCCE activities supported by UNICEF reached 1,500 households and 750 mothers with awareness sessions on Infant & Young Child Feeding(IYCF) in the context of COVID-19in addition to 650 children through recreational activities on hygiene promotion. In Al-Hasakeh, 3,161 people were reached with key messages on COVID-19 including through eight awareness-raising lectures in universities and cultural centers and three theatre performances. Additionally, 50 adolescents were trained on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and communication skills. Further, UNICEF supported World Children's Day engaging 1,200 children in Al-Hasakeh city through recreational activities on COVID-19 prevention.
During the reporting period, more than 8,000 suspected COVID-19cases were investigated within 24 hours of an alert received. In addition, WHO supported the transport of approximately 2,000 suspected case specimens to the central laboratories.
WHO continued to support capacity building of surveillance teams, including through a three-day workshop to train 30 MoH and DoH officers on the analysis, interpretation and presentation of surveillance data, and on monitoring COVID-19 cases and calculating indicators, among other topics.
WHO supported further training for laboratory technicians in Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs and Rural Damascus, in addition to training for five laboratory technicians from Al-Hasakeh on molecular biology COVID-19 testing and biosafety biosecurity.
UNICEF continued to support water trucking to targeted beneficiaries in Al-Hol camp, Al-Hasakeh city, Resass village and collective shelter (As-Sweida), and five IDP camps in Aleppo, Rural Damascus, and Homs. UNICEF also continued supporting IPC measures at Al-Hol camp
WHO supported training for 150 healthcare workers on case management in Dar’a, Damascus and Rural Damascus, including on ventilator management.
In the reporting period, a COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics Working Group comprising the Logistics cluster, WFP, WHO, UNICEF, OCHA, and other health partners was also established to lay the groundwork for delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine and to build long-term pandemic logistics preparedness capacity. Immediate Working Group priorities include carrying out a downstream pipeline assessment to identify cold and supply chain requirements and gaps, including storage and warehouse capacity. Initial challenges identified include limited cold chain storage capacity below -25 degrees Celsius.[3]

Lebanon: COVID-19

Humanitarian Update No. 37

Reporting period: from 22 to 28 December 2020

Coronavirus cases: 171,226 Deaths: 1,394 Recovered: 122,657

Latest WHO corona-related statistics, Dec. 28, 2020. www.who.int

Highlights

Lebanon’s Minister of Interior said the country may go into another lockdown if daily coronavirus cases continue to surge.
On the 21st of December, a case of the new strain of coronavirus has been detected in Lebanon.
During this reporting period, Lebanon registered an average of 1990 new cases per day.

Updated Measures

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport issued Circular No. 62/2 dated 12/21/2020 to all airlines and ground services companies operating at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut regarding procedures for passengers arriving from Britain, according to which the United Kingdom was added to Each of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and all African countries, where all arrivals from them (not including passengers transiting through the United Kingdom) are subjected to a PCR examination at the airport upon their arrival, provided that passengers coming from the United Kingdom adhere to home quarantine until they are informed of the result of the second examination that takes place after 72 hours From the date of their entry into the Lebanese territories.
The Committee for the Follow-up of Preventive Measures recommended that curfew hours to be set between 3:00 and 5:00 AM.

Preparedness and response

The Ministry of Public Health announced in a statement that it had started, in cooperation with the army, the installation of a field hospital in Sir Dinnieh.
The Land Registry and Survey Department in Rashaya was closed after it was found that there were infections among the employees.

[1] Microsoft power MOH, 26 December

[2] OCHA, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Recent Developments in Northwest Syria, Situation Report No. 23 - As of 21 December 2020

[3] OCHA, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC: COVID-19Humanitarian UpdateNo.22, As of 23 December2020