Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 24

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update 24

occupied Palestinian territory, issued 23 April 2020 (epidemiological wk 8)

Information for period: 5 March -23 April 2020

Highlights

A total of 335 COVID-19 cases in oPt including 318 in the West Bank and 17 in the Gaza Strip
Four new cases reported in the Gaza Strip since 6 April 2020
A total of 144 cases and another death has been confirmed in East Jerusalem
Risk Communications and Community Engagement messaging focusing on Ramadan

Updated WHO COVID-19 Dashboard for oPt

WHO has revised its COVID-19 dashboard to provide more comprehensive and interactive insights about the epidemiology and response to COVID-19. It includes:

New and confirmed cases and deaths in oPt with daily interactive data
Confirmed cases in each governorate

Interactive charts showing daily and cumulative confirmed, recovered cases and deaths in each specific district
Disaggregated data for easy access and uses, providing a range of connected variables to help users have better insights into COVID-19 in oPt
Confirmed cases by gender and age in interactive charts

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 situation in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt).

Surveillance

The total number of cases in oPt is 335, including 318 cases in the West Bank and 17 in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, most cases are from Jerusalem Governorate (136), followed by Ramallah (69), Bethlehem (57) and Hebron (36). In the Gaza Strip, all confirmed cases are from Gaza City. Seven health workers are among those confirmed cases
Four new cases reported in Gaza Strip since 6 April 2020, reported in Gaza on 20 and 21 April
To-date, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported a total of 71 cases have recovered and two people have died in the oPt: case fatality rate (CFR) is 0.59%
About 66% of all confirmed cases are male (221 cases) and about 81% of all cases (273 cases) are below the age of 50 years.

Laboratory diagnostics

A total of 26,000 samples have been processed in the oPt according to the MoH
In the West Bank, the MoH opened two testing sites: one in Jenin and one in Hebron. This is in addition to the existing testing sites in Ramallah (Central Public Health Laboratory), Bethlehem (Caritas Hospital) and Nablus (Al-Najaf University)
There is currently a worldwide shortage of laboratory supplies for COVID-19 testing, so the WHO team is working hard to ensure more are provided
In the Gaza Strip, health authorities are continuing to appeal for support to procure additional lab testing kits. A total of 4,368 samples have been tested, including some outside of Gaza
WHO has procured additional test kits, to be delivered from abroad and to be distributed to supply the Gaza Strip and the West Bank upon arrival.

WHO delivered 2,500 litres of antiseptic hand gel (alcogel) as well as 1000 bottles of antiseptic on April 20 to local health authorities in the Gaza Strip with thanks to funding from the oPt Humanitarian Fund.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Isolation and Case Management and Operations support and logistics

According to the MoH, more than 12,300 Palestinians are in quarantine (home or facility-based) for monitoring of their symptoms and ensuring early detection of cases
In the West Bank, the local authorities established 19 quarantine centres to receive incoming travelers, including workers from Israel, arriving to the West Bank. Additional community-based quarantine centres are in the process of being established in Palestinian refugee camps across the area.
In the Gaza Strip, nine people have recovered from COVID-19 and moved to quarantine facilities at Rafah crossing, while eight confirmed cases remain in isolation at Rafah crossing field hospital
More than 1,954 people are in one of the 29 designated quarantine facilities which include primary health facilities, schools or hotels
Despite the low number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Gaza Strip, WHO is encouraging people in Gaza to maintain the recommended measures to keep families safe from COVID-19 and to prevent its spread including physical distancing and personal hygiene measures
WHO delivered 2,500 litres of locally manufactured antiseptic hand gel (alcogel) as well as 1000 bottles of antiseptic (providone-iodine) on April 20 to local health authorities at the Central Drug Store in the Gaza Strip to re-enforce infection prevention and control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This delivery was made possible thanks to support from the oPt Humanitarian Fund
WHO and UNICEF continue to scale up procurement efforts to mobilize life-saving essential Intensive Care Unit and ventilator equipment through global supply mechanisms.

East Jerusalem

As of 23 April 2020 (11:30 am), the PA Ministry of Health reported 144 COVID-19 cases in East Jerusalem with five new cases from Al-Thori area, Shufat Camp, and Jabal Al-Mukaber. Two deaths have been reported (CFR- 1.38%) in the same period and 18 recovered.
COVID-19 patients from East Jerusalem continue to be managed by the East Jerusalem Hospital Network (EJHN) and Israeli Hospitals
There are currently six patients infected with COVID-19 (three at St Joseph Hospital, three in need for kidney dialysis at Hadassah Hospital). All are in good condition as of 21 April
An additional case was confirmed today for a nurse working at Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) from Al-Dhahiriya in Hebron
Following the confirmation of COVID-19 cases among patients and staff at AVH, the MoH was informed and tested all those from the West Bank who were in close contact with them and kept them in West Bank quarantine centers. One staff member from the West Bank is being followed up at the AVH Corona Center. AVH has conducted a number of tests for staff and patients, with around 100 tests conducted during the last two days
There are 150 staff at AVH staying at premises out of a total of (460) staff. The occupancy rate of hospitals is currently at 30% given the COVID-19 crisis
10 testing centres were opened in East Jerusalem by Israeli health authorities in Shufat, Shufat camp, Silwan, Sur Baher, Jabal Mukaber, Beit Safafa, and Jerusalem
Despite donor pledges, the EJHN hospitals are still in urgent of medical supplies and equipment (such as Personal Protective Equipment and ventilators) to be fully prepared to receive COVID-19 patients. Global shortages also contribute to the shortage in ventilators; currently there are a total of 22 ventilators at AVH, St Joseph and Makassed Hospital, meeting only 10% of needs according to AVH.
Operating under emergency situation and limitations of services is adding a strain on the operational capacity of the hospitals and is causing a reduction in its revenues challenging their ability to continue service provision, primarily for Al-Makassed Islamic Charity Hospital
A number of donors and partners have already committed donations to the EJHN including the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Norway Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority while others have made pledges to support the EJHN
In supporting the response to the COVID-19 crisis, WHO is coordinating with the EJHN to address the health needs of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, focusing on provision of technical guidance, risk communication and community engagement to disseminate public health advice for prevention of COVID-19 and advocacy with donors to fund the priority needs

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 24

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