After a decade of civil war, Syria now faces threat of coronavirus

Source:Sabah Daily Date:25Mar2020

The Syrian regime announced Sunday its first case after unconfirmed reports suggested the virus had been detected but covered up, a charge officials have denied, while rolling out tight measures as the disease swarmed neighboring countries.

In the opposition-held northwest, no cases have been confirmed, but patients have been showing possible symptoms for weeks. Some 300 test kits are expected to arrive in the next two days, the World Health Organization (WHO) and a medics group said.

“Health infrastructure and basic services have all been decimated over much of the country … and Syrians are very likely to be some of the most vulnerable to the spread of the virus globally,” said Rachel Sider, a policy and advocacy adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, to Reuters.