Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Contact
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Arab Radio Podcast intro
    • Radio Baladi Detroit
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Toggle search form
  • US Senator Bernie Sanders
    Sanders: Trump Welcomes War Criminal to White House American Arabs
  • Al-Haq
    War crimes probe urged against two Israeli snipers who intentionally killed civilian women, children Christian & Muslim
  • CAIR Executive Director and co-founder Nihad Awad
    CAIR Says Israel Turns Gaza into ‘Human Slaughterhouse’ as Killing of Civilians Continues Arab World
  • photo credit author Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho www.NGPhoto.biz and Wikipedia
    Emergency Court Motions to Stop Elbit Drone Parts Shipment via Frankfurt Airport  Activism
  • American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh murdered by Israeli soldiers May 11, 2022
    Documentary names soldier it says killed Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 American Arabs
  • Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ
    Jordan bans 12 news sites for ‘spreading media poison’ following corruption report Arab World
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech Activism
  • ADC creates emergency fund to defend people who are being punished for expressing views on the American-sanction violence by Israel in the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy of ADC
    ADC Condemns ADL, Rep. Torres’ Defamation of Dr. Lara Sheehi Activism
  • UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in occupied territories warns of a second Nakba  Arab World
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month Activism
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders American Arabs
  • Stuffed Grape Leaves. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    A recipe on how to make Stuffed Grape Leaves with lamb, ox tail and rice American Arabs
  • Andrew Boutros, interim US Attorney Northern District of Illinois. Photo courtesy of the US Attorney's Office
    Andrew S. Boutros Takes Oath of Office as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois American Arabs
  • Israeli massacres of Palestinian civilians March 18 2025
    Palestinians demand investigation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza Strip Arab World
  • Illinois Muslim Action Day April 9 2025
    Illinois Muslim Action Day Policies at April 9 Statehouse News Conference American Arabs
Syrian refugees make their way through Hungary in Sept. 2015 to Europe. Photo courtesy of Seth J. Frantzman

Northern Syria’s most severe COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms health system

Posted on October 13, 2021October 16, 2021 By News Editor News Editor No Comments on Northern Syria’s most severe COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms health system
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Northern Syria’s most severe COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms health system

Northern Syria is experiencing its most severe wave of COVID-19 as needs rapidly outpace already limited oxygen supplies and health facilities begin to run out of testing kits, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Wednesday Oct. 13, 2021.

Support and protection for health care workers, provision of testing kits and oxygen, increased bed capacity in hospitals, and the expansion of vaccination coverage are urgently needed to prevent health care facilities in Northwestern and Northeastern Syria from totally collapsing under the weight of this new outbreak.

“We are directly witnessing the extent of this outbreak in the facilities we manage and support,” said Francisco Otero y Villar, MSF’s head of mission for Syria.

“People in desperate need of oxygen or intensive care are stuck in queues because no beds or ventilators are available. [This] is leading to a higher mortality rate compared with previous [COVID-19] waves.”

In northwestern Syria, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 almost doubled in September, reaching nearly 73,000 cases compared to 39,000 recorded by the end of August.

Syrian refugees make their way through Hungary in Sept. 2015 to Europe. Photo courtesy of Seth J. Frantzman
Syrian refugees make their way through Hungary in Sept. 2015 to Europe. Photo courtesy of Seth J. Frantzman

“The peak reached in this wave so far has been as high as 1,500 cases per day, while [previous waves] never exceeded 600 cases per day,” said Villar.

“In Afrin [in Aleppo governorate in Northwestern Syria], 44 percent of the patients currently admitted to a center supported by MSF are between 16 and 40 years old, indicating that even people who were previously thought to be relatively safe from severe illness caused by the virus are being seriously impacted.”

Only 16 out of 33 COVID-19 treatment centers are currently functioning in the northwest, a region home to about four million people. Severely limited health infrastructure as well as supply issues resulting in inadequate COVID-19 testing and screening make it impossible to assess the real extent of the spread of the virus and implement an adequate response.

Efforts to contain the virus are hindered by poor access to health care and low COVID-19 vaccination rates—only 3 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated due in part to people’s hesitancy to get vaccinated and a slow vaccine rollout.

MSF is scaling up its operations based on the increasing needs. In August, MSF reopened two COVID-19 isolation centers in Idlib governorate, and we are now in the process of expanding their capacity. We also renewed our support to two community treatment centers in Afrin and Al-Bab and we continue to support a treatment center for respiratory illnesses in Afrin.

In displacement camps—where more than 13 percent of people with confirmed COVID-19 live—MSF runs mobile clinics to conduct COVID-19 testing and distribute prevention kits for displaced people.

MSF has also witnessed a worrying increase of COVID-19 cases in Northeastern Syria over the last few weeks. In the last week of September, an average of 342 people tested positive each day—the highest daily number since the pandemic began.

The number of cases started to decrease in the first week of October, but the only laboratory able to perform PCR tests to diagnose COVID-19 in the region is running low on materials and faces the possibility of having to stop testing in the coming weeks if numbers do not continue to decline. Oxygen supply is also under serious strain, with the COVID-19 treatment facility in Hassakeh forced to source oxygen cylinders from Qamishli, Raqqa, and Tabqa cities to meet the needs.

“In response to this new COVID-19 wave, MSF is partnering with a local organization to care for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in treatment centers in Hassakeh and Raqqa city,” said Hanna Majanen, MSF emergency medical manager for Syria. “But our ability to source oxygen is stretched, and we are worried that if the number of positive cases increase again, or stays steady at such high rates, we will be unable to meet the [needs of] all patients.”

Even prior to the pandemic, the health system in northern Syria was struggling to respond to basic medical needs and relied on humanitarian aid. Now, health care facilities and humanitarian actors are unable to cope with the new wave of COVID-19. Urgent assistance is needed in order to adequately respond to this new COVID-19 outbreak and reduce its impact on the people living in Northern Syria.

newswire info
  • About
  • Latest Posts
News Editor News Editor
News Editor News Editor
News Editor News Editor
Latest posts by News Editor News Editor (see all)
  • The RSF mutiny’s resonance in Sudan: Understanding some of its impacts on regional and global dynamics - September 23, 2023
  • Factors Stalling the Peace Process in Sudan - August 28, 2023
  • Reviving the Bread-basket Strategy: The Backbone of Sudan’s Recovery - August 10, 2023

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
Arab World, Civil Rights, Culture, immigrants, News, Syria Tags:Coronavirus, COVID-19, Doctors without Borders, Humanitarian aid, Médecins Sans Frontières, pandemic, Syria, Syrian refugees

Post navigation

Previous Post: American Arab & Muslim PAC endorses Abdullah Hammoud for Dearborn Mayor
Next Post: EEOC adds seven new translations for website including Arabic

Related Posts

  • Militant soccer fans claim responsibility for Cairo bombing Arab World
  • Israeli conscientious objector Mattan Hellman. Photo Credit Ido Ramon -Mesarvot, and http://www.dror-mizrahi.org
    Israeli refuses military service because of Gaza brutality Activism
  • Mandy Patinkin for Israeli Prime Minister Stephen Colbert for SECURITY Arab World
  • Congress and Media must address Israel’s WMD and State Torture of Vanunu Arab World
  • Palestine Foreign Minister Riad (Riyad) Malki. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Palestine official calls for International peace conference Arab World
  • ADC Census Update Sept. 18, 2020
    ADC Hosts online conference on the 2020 Census American Arabs

More Related Articles

Houston Businessman Farouk Shami urges the 16th Annual Convention for the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation to invest in Palestine and help build a strong economy that will provide jobs and result in peace. Overview of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation 16th Annual Conference American Arabs
New poll: 41 % of Americans support refugee settlement American Arabs
Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, listens to a speech during the opening of the 20th session of The New Partnership for Africa's Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 31, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Sudanese journalist fined over column criticizing police Activism
Palestinians protest in support of hunger strikers at the Gaza border with Nahal Oz. Photo copyright Gaza Strip Photographer Ahmad Hasaballah Israel violates rule of law, oppressing innocent civilians Arab World
Arab American National Museum (AANM) docent Carla Valpeoz. Photo courtesy of the AANM Arab American National Museum “docent” missing in Peru American Arabs
AADC Endorsements for April 2 election Activism

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Ray Hanania's 4 times a week columns at https://RayHanania.com at Substack

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Photo courtesy of Journalist Abdennour Toumi
    France: Political Compromise vs Political Instability
    August 28, 2024
  • Zakia Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia
    Arabs eat Middle East food like they are making love
    June 27, 2024
  • Zwar lamb kabob and kufta with white and yellow rice
    Zwar ranked the Best Middle East restaurant in Chicagoland suburbs
    June 8, 2024
  • Pictured: Rahm Emanuel, Afghan activist Salman Aftab who was co-chair of the Iftar dinner, and several non-Arab Muslim leaders. Also pictured is Ald. Joe Moore. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania for Arab News
    Comprehensive look at the failings of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
    January 18, 2024
  • NEWSWIRE
  • CAIR Logo. Council on American Islamic Relations
    CAIR Condemns MIT for banning Class President from Graduation Ceremony over Anti-Genocide speech
    June 1, 2025
  • Arab American community liaison Hassan Nijem, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta at the Arab American Heritage Month event hosted by Pappas’s office.
    Pappas honors Arab American business and community leaders for Heritage Month
    April 29, 2025
  • 04-28-25 Pappas Arab Heritage Month
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recognizes Arab American Heritage Month by honoring business and community leaders
    April 27, 2025
  • Mike Ghouse
    Celebration of 500th Interfaith Marriage Ceremony
    February 14, 2025

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • NEWS
  • US Senator Bernie Sanders
    Sanders: Trump Welcomes War Criminal to White House
    July 9, 2025
  • Al-Haq
    War crimes probe urged against two Israeli snipers who intentionally killed civilian women, children
    July 2, 2025
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Faisal Abbas Book Anecdotes
    Book Review: Arab author shares his anecdotes living in the United Kingdom
    October 22, 2024
  • Columnist Ray Hanania at the ADC Convention in Dearborn with the author Susan Abulhawa
    Book Review: Mornings in Jenin bySusan Abulhawa
    September 14, 2024
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Television set and remote. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
    MBC GROUP unveils MBCNOW, its brand-new groundbreaking entertainment service aggregator
    February 24, 2025
  • ArabCon 2024 Gala Program features Dr. Cornel West, Macklemore, and more
    September 6, 2024
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2025 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme