WHO warns the Middle East regarding a deadly second wave of coronavirus
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Alaina
- . November 21, 2020
- . Update: June 14, 2021 6:42 pm
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) official stated that the Middle East should get ready for a deadly second wave of coronavirus pandemic in the nation.
Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional chief for the Eastern Mediterranean, stated that people in the locale are not following the healthcare measures pointed toward alleviating the spread of the Covid-19. “Preventive steps that are functioning well presently, including face covers, are as yet not being completely followed in our locale,” Mandhari stated during a press conference on Thursday. “The physical distancing measure is also not strictly practiced here.”
The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean area includes nations in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. In Mandhari’s viewpoint, the region is overreliant on lockdowns. Nations that eliminated these complete bans on nonessential items didn’t establish sufficient health standards in the wake of reopening back, he added. “The increase in cases that we are observing is a consequence of the easing of lockdown and limitations,” he added. “However, lockdowns can help restrict transmission partly,” added Mandhari, who requested the legislatures and citizens to wear face covers and practice social distancing without lockdowns.
World Health Organization’s emergency chief Michael Ryan has cautioned that vaccines are still in trial period and won’t be available for curtailing the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The vaccine, must not be viewed as a magic solution, and nations battling the second wave will indeed be prepared to fight the virus without the vaccine, Ryan added.
The WHO chief stated that he believes it will take around four to six months before we have a sufficient amount of vaccine available for export. Three nations with especially awful coronavirus flare-ups in the region are Jordan, Iran, and Morocco, which are all liable for 60% of the rise of the disease in the past week, he added. Iran has been the hardest-hit nation in the Middle East by the covid-19 virus.
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The government has declared the development of rapid testing kits this week as the number of everyday cases keeps on breaking records. Jordan was previously successful in containing the virus, however, currently, they are encountering a significant outbreak. Morocco is launching a countrywide vaccine campaign to contain the spread of covid-19. Lebanon is back to lockdown after cases kept on rising quickly in the past week.
The number of coronavirus cases in the region could likewise be a lot higher than is reported by nations’ health ministries, Mandhari added. “Health officials are worried about the underreporting of the cases in nations encountering strife and war,” Al-Monitor reported.
