The Idleb Health Directorate has announced a package of measures which will be applied in the northwestern Syrian province to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, despite no official announcement of there being any observed cases on Syrian territory.
Dr. Yahya Naimeh, head of the healthcare department in Idleb under opposition control, told Alsouria Net on Tuesday that the directorate had mobilized its entire staff and had started the first steps to spread awareness among residents by distributing posters that included instructions and advice to ward off the virus.
Naimeh said that the directorate had allocated four hospitals in Idleb governorate just to receive patients infected with the coronavirus (if they exhibit symptoms), adding that they would put medical personnel on alert and close all clinics in the governorate with the exception of the women’s, children’s and surgery sections.
The head of the secondary care department in the directorate told Alsouria Net that the announcement of any case of the virus in northwestern Syria would be through the ICU organization which monitors epidemics.
Isolation camps for the injured
The measures announced by the Idleb Health Directorate also included establishing community isolation camps. The relevant authorities will begin setting up the first camps on Wednesday in an area near Harim, north of Idleb.
Naimeh said that the directorate had contacted the relevant authorities to obtain other sites to establish similar camps between villages, cities and rural areas.
The aim of the isolation camps is to receive coronavirus-infected patients and provide simple healthcare there, Naimeh said, adding, “As is well known, 80 percent of those infected with the coronavirus do not need health care—they are only isolated until they recover, while 15 percent need minor care, and five percent intensive care.”
According to Naimeh, the Idleb Health Directorate has prepared a list of requests for the World Health Organization and donor agencies, including care beds, respirators, testing devices, thermometers, sterilizers, and disinfectants, which people must use to prevent the virus.
The Health Directorate held a meeting on Monday that included hospital directors in Idleb, and which resulted in recommendations including the launch of a screening program, which will be applied at all medical points and hospitals.
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.
