Report: 16 to 31 January 2021

Source: DW, Credit: Getty Images/ D. Greedy

Today, the Middle East is witnessing uneven developments regarding the burdening outbreak of the Corona pandemic. In Egypt, infection rates of Coronavirus has decreased significantly, bringing the total of number of recoveries to 129,636 as of last Sunday night. The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population is working to raise its preparations around Egypt while implementing necessary measures, as it has assigned specific numbers to receive citizens inquiries aside from the online application “Egypt Health”. Jordan, however, recorded 3 new infections of the mutation of the Coronavirus, allowing by that the number of people infected to reach 5. The Jordanian Ministry of Health announced in a statement having conducted 24002 laboratory tests up until Monday January 1, 2021. According to the Director of the Directorate of Licenses and Health Professions at the Ministry of Health Nasser Al-Khashman, the ministry is looking to reduce the price of PCR tests.

On the other hand, the Iraqi Ministry of Health declared in a statement that the total number of infections in the country rose to 620,620, reaching 13,057 deaths as of Monday February 1, 2021. Minister of Health Hassan Al-Tamimi had stressed the need to double the efforts to prevent the new strain of the virus from entering Iraq. In Lebanon, Head of the Health Committee Deputy Assem Araji, announced that the Ministry of Health scientific committee at had submitted its recommendations to the Corona Committee, and the most prominent of which was the extension of the lockdown for a week, while adopting some minor exceptions. Caretaker Minister of Public Health Hamad Hassan chaired a joint meeting discussing a draft of plan for the upcoming phase and the mechanism for implementing home care for infected people.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree extending the State of Emergency in the Palestinian territories for an additional month. The Ministry of Health declared receiving the first shipment of vaccines of two thousand doses from the US company Moderna. In Syria, the northwest region of the country witnessed a decrease in the number of infections at the end of last January, with 5 cases recorded last Wednesday. Human Rights Watch stressed the need to support international relief groups in order to ensure a comprehensive and equitable distribution of vaccines throughout Syria, including areas under the control of several groups.

Last week, Cyprus announced that it would gradually lift the restrictions imposed in the country starting February. The decision followed a decrease in the number of daily infections. Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou indicated that schools will reopen for primary and secondary students, then shops, shopping centers and hairdressing and beauty salons on February 8th.