Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 49
occupied Palestinian territory, issued 22 October 2020
Information for period: 5 March – 22 October 2020
Highlights
- WHO continues to deliver vital medical training, equipment and supplies across the oPt to support the COVID-19 response
Training to enhance health workers’ capacity to manage critical COVID-19 patients continues in the Gaza Strip, with the support of local health authorities and WHO. Sixty junior doctors and 200 nurses will be learning about intensive care management protocols for COVID-19 patients, including patient assessment and monitoring, airway management and mechanical ventilation and infection prevention and control measures. The training is funded by the Government of Canada
WHO preparedness, readiness and response
WHO is continuing to work with partners to support Ministry of Health’s (MoH) efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coordination, planning and monitoring
- Support to facilitate the import and delivery of essential equipment continues, see images and detail below.
Surveillance
- The WHO risk assessment remains very high as the number of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 stabilizes at high average daily rates
- From 1- 22 October, the total number of COVID-19 cases rose by 10,129 cases (on average 460 cases per day). Five hundred and six have died, with an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.83%.
Laboratory diagnostics
- A total of 482,531 laboratory samples have been tested for COVID-19 according to MoH.
WHO delivered one automated RNA extraction machine which reduces the time required for the COVID-19 testing by almost half compared to the manual RNA extractor. 10 RNA extraction kits to conduct up to 20,000 COVID-19 tests were delivered to help sustain testing and control the spread of the virus
To help address critical shortages of COVID-19 testing supplies, UK aid has funded the purchase and delivery of 120,000 swabs to collect samples for COVID-19 tests. Pictured is the first batch of 5,000 swabs delivered by WHO to local health authorities in Gaza on October 21, which will help to sustain testing for COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Isolation and Case Management, Operations Support and Logistics
Seventy health workers in maternal and child health services have undertaken infection prevention training, conducted by the Palestinian National Institute of Public Health (PNIPH) and WHO team. The training included discussions, lectures, and role-play activities and practical demonstrations
- 15,242 Palestinians are in quarantine (home or facility-based) to prevent further spread of the disease
- In the Gaza Strip, a total of 1,930 people with COVID-19 are in 12 isolation centers, including the two dedicated COVID-19 treatment facilities: Turkish and European Gaza hospitals. A further 158 people are in one of three quarantine facilities
- WHO continues to coordinate and support the delivery of vital medical equipment for the COVID-19 response across Gaza and the West Bank (see images for details)
- WHO provided Nasser Medical Complex with two new tents that are already in use as part of the emergency departments expansion plan. The tents serve as Respiratory Triage Centres (RTCs) and are used to screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms before they enter the hospital to prevent infection spreading and are supported by EU Humanitarian Aid.
East Jerusalem
- As of October 21, 25 COVID-19 patients are being treated in the two main dedicated COVID-19 hospitals of the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network. Of these, 13 are at St Joseph Hospital and 12 (including five in critical condition) are at Al- Makassed Hospital. In addition, four patients with COVID-19 from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are being treated at Augusta Victoria Hospital, including a patient companion from Gaza
- Four health workers at Al-Makassed have COVID-19, while two remain in quarantine
Sustaining Essential Health Services: WHO Trauma Program
- WHO is working with the Médecins Sans Frontières France (MSF-France) Osteomyelitis Treatment Unit to establish a referral system for patients with bone infections from the Limb Reconstruction Centre (LRC) in the Gaza Strip. Rates of bone infection are high among LRC patients and an increasing number of patients are showing signs of antibiotic resistance, which increases the risk of amputation and the risk of infection to other patients. There is currently no other provider that offers this specialised treatment
- In the last two weeks, WHO delivered essential medical equipment to the Limb Reconstruction Centre (LRC) including patient monitors, defibrillators, an electrocardiography (ECG) machine and four vital signs monitors
- WHO is providing weekly online distance training sessions to continue specialised capacity building. A total of 118 Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance personnel and paramedics finished a six-week refresher course. Another six-week online training course for 149 emergency medical services personnel from local health authorities in the Gaza Strip began this week. In addition, weekly live online sessions at the Limb Reconstruction Centre run by medical experts from abroad are ongoing.
More local information
Document Sources: World Health Organization (WHO)
Subject: Health
Publication Date: 22/10/2020
URL source: https://who18.createsend.com/campaigns/reports/viewCampaign.aspx?d=j&c=99FA4938D049E3A8&ID=28C623EAEED0A9ED2540EF23F30FEDED&temp=False&tx=0&source=Report
