U.N. Official: Coronavirus Cases Likely Far Higher than Syria Claims

The true number of coronavirus cases in Syria “far exceed[s] official figures” confirmed by the government, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said on Thursday.

“Reports of healthcare facilities filling up, of rising numbers of death notices and burials, all seem to indicate that actual cases far exceed official figures,” U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs Ramesh Rajasingham told the U.N. Security Council. Syria’s ruling regime has officially reported just under 2,500 cases and 100 deaths from the Chinese coronavirus so far, according to Iraqi Kurdistan news agency Rudaw.

“What the official figures do show, is that community transmission [of coronavirus] is widespread. Of the 2,440 cases confirmed by the Syrian Ministry of Health, the majority cannot be traced to a known source,” Rajasingham said.

According to the U.N. official, “rising [coronavirus] patient numbers are adding pressure to the fragile health system” in Syria, ravaged by a decade of war. Many people in Syria “are reluctant to seek care [for coronavirus] at medical facilities, leading to more severe complications when they do arrive,” he said.

Recently, “[s]everal health facilities have suspended operations due to capacity issues and to staff contracting the virus,” Rajasingham said. “In Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, 12 health facilities had to suspend operations this month due to staff becoming infected [with coronavirus], having to self-isolate, or due to lack of personal protective equipment.”

Al Hol serves as a detainment center for “65,000 mainly women and children connected to Islamic State fighters,” according to Rudaw. “Both field hospitals at the camp have since resumed operations,” the humanitarian official added.

Germany and Belgium, who together are in charge of Syrian humanitarian issues in the U.N. Security Council, warned in a joint statement that “the spread of COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] across the country is increasing exponentially.”

“Testing capacities remain very low, so most cases may go unnoticed,” they said, echoing Rajasingham’s point. “Numbers we hear [from the ruling regime] may only represent the tip of the iceberg,” they cautioned, adding that “the destruction of health facilities and the shortage of health workers dramatically imperil any response.”