WHO: East Med Region 'Reaching Critical Point' For Covid

WHO: East med region ‘reaching critical point’ for coronavirus

TARA KAVALER

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total number of COVID-19 cases in its Eastern Mediterranean Region is more than 11.4 million, with over 223,000 fatalities.

“We are reaching a critical point for COVID-19 in our region,” Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a press statement released midweek. “Countries are reintroducing or strengthening social and travel restrictions, but at this stage, increasing complacency by communities means that the virus is winning in the region.”

“It is not too late to turn the course of this pandemic, but it requires much more exerted global, regional and national efforts,” he added.

The WHO fears a surge in cases in Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Morocco despite a general decrease in coronavirus infections over the last two months due to variants, large swaths of people going unvaccinated, and lax observance of safety protocols.

In Tunisia and Libya, for example, the percentage of the populations that have been inoculated for the vaccine is only 6% and 5.6%, respectively.

In Iraq, less than 1% of the population has received one dose. The country suffered a tragedy on July 13 when at least 92 people died in the COVID isolation ward of Nasiriyah's Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital.

According to the organization, Iran attributes its monthlong jump in new cases to nonobservance of social distancing measures during the March holiday of Nowuz, which marks the Iranian new year.

When it comes to variants, the elusive alpha and delta are two strains that have contributed to Morocco expanding the scope of its state of emergency order until August 10.