The General Authority for the al-Mouwasat University Hospital in Damascus announced that the number of patients infected with the coronavirus increased threefold during the first half of this month compared to last month.
Authority Director Issam al-Amin, said that the total number of confirmed positive results at the hospital reached 53 cases, compared to 15 infections in October, indicating that the numbers first started skyrocketing in August, with 172 confirmed cases in al-Mouwasat.
“These numbers represent only the cases that need medical attention in the hospital, and range between severe and critical. They constitute only 15 percent of the total number of infections that are not referred to hospitals,” Amin said in a statement to Al-Khabar TV.
He added that we cannot predict whether “the current wave will go up or whether there will be a flattening of the curve or even a decrease. Such predictions can’t be made for viral diseases,” noting that critical cases often involve the elderly and those with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and lung and respiratory diseases.
Amin pointed out that, “children contract the disease like any other person, but they may not show any symptoms, or have mild symptoms, due to the strength of their immune system.” However, the danger lies in transmitting the infection to their parents at home or to their teachers at school.
He mentioned that the number of beds in the hospital has been increasing in proportion to the number of infections, saying, “We are able, within a few hours, to get ready and return to maximum capacity in the isolation and intensive care sections and the ambulance center, whose capacity reaches 120 beds, combined.”
Amin expected, “an increase in the number of suspected coronavirus cases during the months of November and December due to the fact they coincide with seasonal influenza, swine flu, and bird flu, which are the cases that are referred to the hospital due to chest pain and have not been ruled out yet.”
A member of the advisory team tasked to confront the virus, Dr. Nabough al-Awa, had warned of a winter wave, saying, “The coming peak of infections may surprise us with severe or varied symptoms,” calling all those who suspect they are infected with the virus to go to the hospital immediately.
The number of coronavirus infections in Syria rose, according to the official toll, to 6,759 — 350 of whom died and 2,759 recovered.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
