COVID-19 infections exceed 1.4 mn in Damascus suburbs: sources
(Syria Files)- Well-informed sources told Syria Files that the number of COVID-19 infections has reached a total of 1.4 mn in Damascus and neighboring populous towns amid full blackout on the terrible spike in deaths by the Syrian government.
Damascus-based health workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at least 180 people die everyday, including medical staff as health facilities are unable to admit new patients.
Doctors confirmed to Syria Files that residents suffer from blatant neglect in health centers and hospitals amid a huge shortage of medical equipment and health personnel.
Medics in Damascus claim that the official case numbers reflect only those admitted to hospital, not infected individuals who may be staying at home.
Meanwhile, the war-torn country has recorded 3540 infections and 155 deaths of the novel Coronavirus.
Doctors Syndicate in Damascus has mourned 40 doctors who died from Coronavirus so far.
The big difference between the statistics of Health Ministry comparing to the obituaries published by the Doctors and Lawyers Syndicates, confirms that the ministry intends to conceal the true number of injured or deaths due to illness, noting that the ministry on more than one occasion confirmed that the numbers it possesses are inaccurate, due to the scarcity of the number It has disease scanners, health workers say.
Meanwhile, a state of panic has been spread in the capital and its suburbs. Every neighborhood and district are infected, the source added.
The deteriorating living conditions and the ailing economy have been key factors in the virus spread. According to the New York Times, an estimated 80 percent of Syrians live in poverty. About 40 percent were unemployed at the end of 2019.
The Covid-19 has also opened the door for greedy warlords to take the advantages by monopolizing precaution materials like masks and sterilizers. The price for one mask equal 2000 SP (about $1) as the average of month income is 60,000 SP (less than $30)
Bashar al-Assad’s government has always blamed Western sanctions for hitting medical services needed to cope with coronavirus, calling for their removal.
But Residents of Damascus and its countryside have blamed the Iranian militias for the pandemic spread in southern Damascus, carrying the virus with them from Iran which was severely hit by Coronavirus.
Most of COVID-19 deaths have been buried in the military Najha cemetery in the southern suburbs of Damascus due to a strict order by the government.
Syria Files sources said some families had paid bribes to bury their dead in the family cemetery, after bringing false reports confirming that the death was natural.
In June, the World Health Organization said it was “concerned” about the spread of COVID-19 in Syria, citing “poor infrastructure and fragile health systems vastly weakened by conflict.”
But the United Nations and countries including Russia and China have provided direct medical support to the government-held areas.
