Risk of ‘catastrophic’ COVID-19 surge in Middle East, WHO

The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday an outpouring of coronavirus cases in several Middle Eastern countries could have calamitous consequences, intensified by the spread of the Delta variant and low vaccine availability.

After a reduction in cases and deaths in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region for eight weeks, the agency said there has been substantial upsurges in cases in Libya, Iran, Iraq, and Tunisia, with a sharp increase anticipated in Lebanon and Morocco.

Next week countries across the district will mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which customarily contains religious and social gatherings where contamination is possible.

“WHO is concerned that the current COVID-19 upsurge may continue to peak in the coming weeks, with catastrophic consequences,” the agency’s regional office said in a statement.

A lack of observance to public health and social measures, “increasing complacency by communities”, low inoculation rates and the spread of new variants, were to occur, stated the WHO.

The agency further emphasized Tunisia as the country with the highest coronavirus impermanence rate per capita in the constituency and in Africa,

It should also be noted, that daily cases had almost crumpled in Iran over four weeks too early July.

Furthermore, the number of reported COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Djibouti as well as Middle Eastern states, had exceeded 11.4 million, the statement said.

More than 223,000 deaths had been reported, it added.