Growing coronavirus death rate in Houthi-held Sanaa: MSF

MSF head called on local authorities to cooperate with international organizations. (File/AFP)

• Houthi militants, who control the area, have only confirmed four coronavirus cases and one death
• MSF warned that the coronavirus is spreading across Yemen

DUBAI: Coronavirus death rate is increasing in Yemen’s Sanaa, the international humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said, contrary to what the Houthi militants have been claiming.
Houthi militants, who control the area, have only confirmed four coronavirus cases and one death, international Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Friday.
“It’s most evident in the intensive care unit in Sanaa, which has 15 beds and has been full most of the time for the last four weeks, and where the team have witnessed a high rate of deaths,” MSF said in a statement.
“There has been a strange mixture of fear and denial about the virus here,” MSF’s Yemen mission head Clair HaDuong added.
MSF warned that the coronavirus is spreading across Yemen, while HaDuong explained that many people do not want to believe the virus can reach the country or admit it is already spreading.
“Five years of fighting had caused Yemen’s healthcare system to collapse in large parts ... Now COVID-19 has made that collapse complete, with many hospitals closing for fear of the virus,” she added.
HaDuong said the virus can kill many people in Yemen, but more people might die due to a lack of appropriate healthcare. She called on local authorities to cooperate with international organizations like MSF to help address the situation.
“They need to ensure the entry of medical supplies and international staff to reinforce teams on the ground,” HaDuong said.
On Thursday, Yemen’s Minister of Public Health and Population Nasser Ba-aum said nearly 30 million Yemenis face the risk of coronavirus, malaria, dengue fever, cholera, typhoid and chikungunya.
The country has a limited number of medical equipment, he explained.
“The government is working hard to provide medicine and medical equipment … in cooperation with international organizations and a number of regional and international partners,” he said, adding that “despite having medical experts, Yemen lacked financial support and equipment.”
Houthis continue to hide coronavirus related figures and obstruct humanitarian aid despite governmental calls for transparency, Ba-aum said.
Earlier this month, the country’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Iryani said Houthis are leaving thousands of Yemeni COVID-19 patients in Sanaa and other areas under their control to die of the disease.
Yemeni citizens who have the virus or are suspected of having it are staying at home out of fear they will be killed in hospital by “lethal injections” administered by Houthis, he added.