Director of Readiness, Ambulance, and Emergency at the Ministry of Health of the Syrian regime government, Tawfiq Hasaba, confirmed that there are no beds available in the intensive care units of the Damascus hospitals for coronavirus patients.
Hasaba pointed out that negotiations are underway to provide intensive care for coronavirus patients in al-Zabadani and al-Qutayfah hospitals, in rural Damascus.
Regarding the possibility of receiving patients in the emergency hospital in al-Fayhaa, he explained that the hospital is not equipped for intensive care, and is only intended to receive patients who need oxygen.
The situation in the rest of the governorates differs from what it is in Damascus, according to Hasaba, who said that receiving patients who need intensive care in other governorates is possible, to varying degrees.
Hasaba warned against “continuing to be careless and not adhering to precautionary measures.” He added, “this calls for imposing fines on those who do not adhere to the precautionary measures,” according to what Al-Watan reported on Thursday.
The Ministry of Health recorded an increase in coronavirus cases, as the number of daily cases has doubled, according to the ministry’s data.
According to official data, 120 people were infected yesterday, including 27 cases in Damascus and 19 cases in its countryside, which brings the total number of cases since the outbreak of the virus to 16,776, of which 1,120 have died.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine, via COVAX, will arrive in Syria within weeks, which means the first vaccination campaign could start as early as April or May.
The shipment will include one million doses of the British AstraZeneca vaccine, the WHO Representative in Syria, Dr. Akjemal Magtymova, announced on Wednesday.
International human rights organizations had previously warned against the possibility of the regime using the vaccine as a weapon of war against civilians in areas outside its control.
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.
