COVID-19 Rages in Middle East

Date: 18 April 2021 - 22:41

News ID: ۸۹۲۹۵

BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Lebanon, a nation of nearly seven million people, has been witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases in recent days.
Last week, the total number of infections exceeded half a million, while the death toll from the virus reached 6,778.
The pandemic has hit the country while the economic situation in the country has been deteriorating since 2019, pushing thousands of Lebanese citizens onto the streets. Back then, it was estimated that Lebanon needed $20-$25 billion to re-emerge from its fiscal crisis.
Then came the deadly Beirut explosion of August 2020 that shattered what had already been a fragile situation, while the raging coronavirus and the restrictive measures taken to curb its spread resulted in high rates of unemployment and poverty.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip recorded its highest-ever daily toll of coronavirus deaths, authorities said Sunday, as the Israeli-blockaded territory struggles with a dearth of vaccines.
The Palestinian enclave, hemmed in by a large concrete barrier, the Egyptian border and the Mediterranean Sea, had been largely spared by the Covid-19 illness for much of last year.
But in August, cases were recorded in its densely-populated refugee camps. They have sky-rocketed in recent weeks, forcing a curfew and other health measures.
On Sunday, the Strip’s health ministry announced "23 deaths in the past 24 hours”, taking its toll to 761 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
"It’s the largest number of deaths” in one day, said Mutassim Salah, a senior health official, adding that 305 people were hospitalized with the disease.
Egypt is witnessing a third coronavirus wave, a top official has said. Ashraf Hatem, head of the health affairs committee in the Egyptian Parliament and a member of the supreme committee for respiratory viruses of the Ministry of Higher Education, indicated that the number of coronavirus cases at university hospitals is once again increasing daily.
He said that citizens must adhere to precautionary measures, respect the rules of social distancing and wear their protective face masks, as well as avoiding family visits.
He advised of the need to follow proper nutritional habits and eat foods that contain nutrients that boost the immune system.
Hatem said that the number of coronavirus cases is directly related to how far citizens follow precautionary measures.