COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen
COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Yemen |
First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
Index case | Hadhramaut |
Arrival date | 10 April 2020 (3 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 5 days) |
Confirmed cases | 11,945[1] |
Recovered | 9,786[2] |
Deaths | 2,159[1] |
Fatality rate | 18.07% |
The first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Yemen was announced on 10 April 2020 with an occurrence in Hadhramaut.[3][4] Organizations called the news a "devastating blow" and a "nightmare scenario" given the country's already dire humanitarian situation.[5]
The country is seen to be extremely vulnerable to the outbreak, given the dire humanitarian situation due to the
Timeline
April 2020
The first case was confirmed on 10 April, the patient was a 60-year-old man in the southern oil-producing region of Hadhramaut. He remains in stable condition. Authorities have since sealed off the port where the man worked and told other employees to self-isolate for two weeks. The neighbouring regions of Shabwah and al-Mahrah sealed their borders with Hadhramaut, where a 12-hour nightly curfew has been imposed.[9]
On 23 April, Hadramout Governor Faraj Salmin Al-Bahsni said in an interview with
On 29 April, Yemen recorded five new cases of coronavirus, including two deaths, all in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.[11]
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters there has been at least one confirmed case in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, but the movement's health ministry denied this and said all suspected cases had tested negative for COVID-19.[12]
May 2020
On 1 May, Yemen reported its first case in the southwestern
On 2 May, three more cases were confirmed, one in Taiz Governorate and two in Aden city. The new case in Taiz had been in contact with the southwestern province's first infection.[14]
On 4 May, two new cases were reported in Hadhramaut.[15]
On 5 May, the government in the south reported 9 new infections, eight in
On 6 May, Yemen reported its first three cases, including a death in
On 8 May, Yemen reported nine new coronavirus cases in Aden, the interim headquarters of the government, including one death, and said a second person infected in the southern province of Lahaj had died.[18]
On 9 May, a new case of coronavirus was discovered in Sanaa, which was transmitted from Aden, Houthi's health ministry said in a statement.[19]
On 28 May, a statement from the United Nations and its agencies outlined the dire impact COVID-19 had on Yemenis. Yemen's embattled health care system is near collapse due to the addition strain from COVID-19. Only half of health facilities are in operation, with most lacking personal protective equipment (PPE), oxygen supplies, and clean water. Most health-workers and front-line aid workers are reportedly working without protective equipment and salaries.[20] A press release from the United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) indicated that another 5 million children had been put out of school due to school closures, adding to the already 2 million children who were out of school prior to the pandemic.[21]
June 2020
On June 24, the UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock warned that Yemen will "fall off the cliff" without increased donations. He said that coronavirus was spreading swiftly across Yemen, and roughly a quarter of the country's confirmed cases have died. He warned many more people could die due to starvation, COVID-19, or cholera. Finally, he warned that the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the suffering of Yemenis.[22]
On June 28, the
On 29 June, the Yemeni Health Ministry reported 10 new cases of the disease and 304 nationwide deaths from the disease.[24]
July 2020
On July 14, authorities in territory controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen announced an easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions, allowing the reopening of restaurants, parks and wedding venues, whilst encouraging the public to maintain a social distance and use hand sanitizer regularly.[25]
Statistics
Confirmed new cases per day
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Confirmed deaths per day
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
COVID-19 Cases Reported in Yemeni Governorates
COVID-19 Cases Reported in Yemeni Governorates | |||
---|---|---|---|
Governorate | Reported Cases | Recoveries | Deaths |
Total | 8,861 | 5,470 | 1,673 |
'Amran | 281 | 218 | 52 |
Abyan | 49 | 25 | 13 |
Aden | 1624 | 1207 | 138 |
Al Bayda | 239 | 120 | 71 |
Al Hudaydah | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Al Jawf | – | 0 | 0 |
Al Mahrah | 38 | 21 | 10 |
Al Mahwit | – | 0 | 0 |
Amanat Al Asimah | 871 | 412 | 280 |
Dhale | 60 | 27 | 15 |
Dhamar | – | 0 | 0 |
Hadramaut |
51 | 4 | 15 |
Hajjah | – | 0 | 0 |
Ibb | – | 0 | 0 |
Lahij | 128 | 80 | 38 |
Ma'rib |
411 | 142 | 49 |
Raymah | – | 0 | 0 |
Sa'dah |
– | 0 | 0 |
Sanaa | – | 0 | 0 |
Shabwah | 139 | 93 | 37 |
Socotra | 23 | 0 | 2 |
Taiz |
1573 | 915 | 247[26] |
Prevention
As a response to the growing threat, the
After urging from the
After the second case in
On 28 May, the United Nations and 16 other international humanitarian partners launched an emergency appeal to find US$2.41 Billion to fight COVID-19 in Yemen. Although only 10 of the nation's 22 governorates have reported confirmed cases at this time, a statement from the international humanitarian community indicated that the virus had already impacted most areas of the country. 30 of the 41 major UN Programs in Yemen are at risk of running out of money in the next few weeks if additional funding cannot be found.[20]
Vaccination
On March 31, 2021, Yemen received the first batch of 360,000 coronavirus vaccine doses, a part of 1.9 million doses.[31] Statistics released by the WHO in August 2022 showed that Yemen had administered just 864,544 COVID-19 vaccines so far, making it one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world. [32]
References
- ^ a b Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Dattani, Saloni; Roser, Max (2020–2022). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer". Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- PMID 34225760.
- ^ Ghobari, Muhammad. "War-ravaged Yemen confirms first coronavirus case, braces for more". Reuters. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen 'faces nightmare' as virus case confirmed". BBC News. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ Shaker, Naseh (25 March 2020). "WHO warns Yemen of pending 'explosion' of COVID-19 cases". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "COVID-19: Impact on Yemen". ACAPS. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Almutawakel, Radhya. "Yemen: First bombs, soon a coronavirus epidemic". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen 'faces nightmare' as first coronavirus case confirmed". BBC. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "'It is still a mystery': War-hit Yemen struggles to trace COVID-19 infection". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen reports first two deaths from coronavirus". Reuters. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen reports first two coronavirus deaths, braces for more". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen records first coronavirus case in Taiz province as virus spreads". Reuters. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Three new coronavirus cases in Yemen bring total confirmed to 10". Reuters. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen records two new coronavirus cases in Hadhramout". Reuters. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen's Houthis report first coronavirus case with death in Sanaa hotel". Reuters. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen reports first three coronavirus cases, one death in Lahaj province". Reuters. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen reports nine new coronavirus cases in Aden, two more deaths". Reuters. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen's Houthis report new case of coronavirus in Sanaa". Reuters. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Yemen: Humanitarians seeking $2.41 billion to keep aid flowing amid COVID-19 pandemic". UN News. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore at joint press briefing on the humanitarian situation in Yemen". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "Yemen: millions of children facing deadly hunger, amidst aid shortages and COVID-19". UN News. 26 June 2020.
- Minneapolis Star Tribune. 28 June 2020. Archived from the originalon 22 August 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "10 new COVID-19 infections reported in Yemen". menafn.com. 29 June 2020.
- ^ Mayberry, Kate; Allahoum, Ramy; Alsaafin, Linah (14 July 2020). "UN chief warns coronavirus could set world back for years: Live". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "@YSNECCOVID19" on Twitter
- ^ "Yemen's Houthis suspend int'l flights over COVID-19 concerns – Xinhua". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "Preparing for the arrival of Covid-19 in Yemen". ACTED. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "As coronavirus spreads, U.N. seeks Yemen urgent peace talks resumption". Reuters. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Ceasefire begins in Yemen to help combat virus". BBC News. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Yemen receives first batch of coronavirus vaccines". Arab News. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Less than two percent of Yemenis have been vaccinated against Covid-19". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 24 April 2023.