Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 27

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 27

occupied Palestinian territory, issued 3 May 2020

Information for period: 5 March – 3 May 2020

Highlights

A total of 520 COVID-19 cases in oPt: 503 in West Bank (including 167 in East Jerusalem) and 17 in Gaza Strip
WHO continues to support MOH to procure and deliver essential medical supplies, including lab testing kits and lab consumables to Gaza Strip

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).

Summary of procurement by WHO during COVID-19 response 

A total of US$ 1.03 million has been spent procuring and delivering essential medical supplies and equipment to support the COVID-19 response across oPt:

82 Lab testing kits and consumables to screen more than 7,800 people for COVID-19
28 items delivered for infection protection control, incl. 514,000 gloves, 129,550 masks and 61,990 other PPE items
34 items for Case Management, incl 12 medicine items.

Surveillance

The total number of cases in oPt is 520, including 503 cases in the West Bank and 17 in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, most cases are from East Jerusalem (167), Jerusalem Governorate (140), followed by Ramallah (77), Bethlehem (59) and Hebron (41). In the Gaza Strip, all confirmed cases are from Gaza City. A total of 11 health workers are among those confirmed cases
To-date, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported a total of 103 cases have recovered: 91 in West Bank, including 26 in East Jerusalem) and 12 in Gaza and four people have died in the oPt: case fatality rate (CFR) is 0.76%
About two-thirds (65%) of all confirmed cases are male (231 cases) and about 82% of all cases (290 cases) are below the age of 50 years in the oPt, excluding East Jerusalem.

Laboratory diagnostics

A total of 33,914 laboratory samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the oPt according to the MoH
In the Gaza Strip, health authorities are continuing to appeal for support to procure additional lab testing kits. A total of 4,804 samples have been tested, including some outside of Gaza
WHO delivered lab testing kits to support COVID-19 testing of more than 1,100 people in the Gaza Strip (on April 30), with thanks to support from UK aid
With a global and local shortage of lab supplies and other medical equipment, large quantities of essential items are challenging to procure but WHO is working to try and address this to support oPt’s COVID-19 response.

Updated WHO COVID-19 Dashboard for oPt

Click on our revised COVID-19 dashboard to access comprehensive and interactive insights about the epidemiology and response to COVID-19 in the oPt.

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

According to the MoH, more than 14,840 Palestinians are in quarantine (home or facility-based) for monitoring of their symptoms and ensuring early detection of cases
During the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Palestinian Authority has imposed daily movement restrictions from 19.00 until early in the morning
In the Gaza Strip, 12 people have recovered from COVID-19, out of which 9 were discharged home and three were moved to quarantine facilities at Rafah crossing. Five confirmed cases remain in isolation at Rafah crossing field hospital
More than 1,963 people are in one of the 21 operational quarantine facilities which include designated 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
Local health authorities have announced some preventive occupational health and safety measures to be applied by workers and the general public, in businesses, institutions and public facilities, such as offices and supermarkets to ensure physical distancing and hand and respiratory hygiene measures. These include maintaining physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres between people, mandatory access to hand sanitizers at facility entrances; and regularly disinfecting frequently-touched services
Local health authorities are urging citizens of the Gaza Strip to adhere to the instructions of infection prevention and control, and physical distancing. Elderly, children, patients with respiratory diseases and people with weak immunity are all urged to avoid public places and crowded gatherings
WHO and UNICEF continue to scale up procurement efforts to mobilize life-saving essential Intensive Care Unit and ventilator equipment through global supply mechanisms.  More essential supplies are on the way for West Bank and Gaza, with thanks to support from multiple donors including the oPt Humanitarian Fund and UK aid.

East Jerusalem

As of 2 May 2020 (17:30), the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health reported 167 COVID-19 cases in East Jerusalem with four new cases from Anata, Beit-Hanina, Wad Al Joz, and the Old City. Two deaths have been reported (CFR- 1.2%) and 26 recovered in the same period
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 with COVID-19 (three at St Joseph Hospital, three in need for kidney dialysis at Hadassah Hospital) and eight confirmed health worker cases of COVID-19 from the same hospital all under quarantine
Despite donor pledges, the EJHN hospitals are still in urgent need of medical supplies and equipment 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
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 27

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 27

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