Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 30

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 30

occupied Palestinian territory, issued 21 May 2020

Information for period: 5 March – 21 May 2020

Highlights

10 new confirmed cases recorded in Gaza in the past week (since 6 May)
A total of 577 COVID-19 cases in oPt: 547 in West Bank and 30 in Gaza Strip
WHO delivered 61 lab testing kits to the 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).

More than 5,788 people will benefit from COVID-19 testing in the Gaza Strip after 61 lab testing kits were delivered to local health authorities in two deliveries supported by oPt Humanitarian Fund and UK aid. The acting head of our Gaza sub- office Abdelnaser Soboh is pictured delivering the kits to the central drug lab.

Coordination, planning and monitoring

New Ministry of Health surveillance system to track COVID-19 cases

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Palestinian National Institute of Public Health (PNIPH) and the Ministry of Health leveraged local capacity to further develop and enhance the surveillance system to track COVID-19 cases in Palestine. The system, as well as a public-facing website, were officially launched this week. The website presents regularly updated data on the situation in Palestine, distributions of cases by age and location, and health maps.
Data from the system is being used by the government to provide updates to the public and will be used to generate

research and reports to inform COVID-19 decisions and policies.

More information on the system is available on the PNIPH website

Surveillance

The total number of cases in oPt is 577, including 547 cases in the West Bank and 30 in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, most cases are from East Jerusalem (179), Jerusalem Governorate (140), followed by Hebron (73) Ramallah (77) and Bethlehem (59). 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 464 cases have recovered: 448 in West Bank, including 118 in East Jerusalem) and 30 in Gaza and four people have died in the oPt: case fatality rate (CFR) is 0.7%
About two-thirds (65%) of all confirmed cases are male (262 cases) and about 81% of all cases (325 cases) are below the age of 50 years in the oPt, excluding East Jerusalem.

Laboratory diagnostics

A total of 45,343 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 laboratory testing kits. A total of 8,650 samples have been tested, including some outside of Gaza
Some 5,788 people will benefit from COVID-19 testing in the Gaza Strip after 61 lab testing kits were delivered to local health authorities in two deliveries (on 14 and 20 May), thanks to generous support of the oPt Humanitarian Fund and 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.

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

According to the MoH, more than 19,374 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, ten new confirmed cases were reported in the past week, and a total of 16 people have recovered from COVID-19, out of which 12 were discharged home and four were moved to quarantine facilities at Rafah crossing. Fourteen active cases remain in isolation at Rafah crossing field hospital
More than 1,656 people are in one of the 17 operational quarantine facilities which include designated primary health facilities, schools or hotels
WHO is working in close coordination with the health authorities in Gaza to identify the needs of the five respiratory centers, in support of COVID-19 response
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 May 20, 2020 (17:00), the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health reported 179 COVID-19 cases in East Jerusalem with new cases from Al-Thor. Two deaths have been reported (CFR- 1.1%) and 118 recovered in the same period
A reduction of referrals to East Jerusalem Hospitals had a great impact on the hospitals’ operational capacity and financial situation. The St Johns Eye hospital in particular experienced a dramatic drop in the number of patients at its four facilities in East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza since the lockdown due to fewer referrals from the Ministry of Health. More than 18,000 patients missed their scheduled medical appointments for examination and clinical treatment and over 1,200 major sight-saving surgeries were cancelled. This translated into a significant service-provision backlog, both for the hospital and for the MoH, as well as total losses of about US $1.5 million and up to this point and an estimated end-of year loss of estimated US $4 million assuming gradual return to a normal situation in the coming months. The hospital has launched a fundraising campaign to address the current shortfalls
To maintain continuity of specialized services by the East Jerusalem hospitals, including ophthalmic services, it is important to continue financial support to the East Jerusalem hospitals to continue and sustain their operations.
In supporting the response to the COVID-19 crisis, WHO is coordinating with the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network (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.

Risk Communications and Community Engagement

A video urging people to quit during Ramadan as part of the RCCE campaign

A social media card encouraging social distancing measures at mosques.

Since March, WHO has jointly supported a COVID-19 Risk communications and Community Engagement (RCCE) Plan with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health. This is supported by a private taskforce, including the Bank of Palestine and the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency, as well as 30+ partners including the Jerusalem Coalition, OCHA, Oxfam, PNGO, PMRS, UNESO, UNFPA and UNRWA, among others
Since March 19 this RCCE group has:
- shared more than 1,100 social media posts with health guidance and received more than 13 million views of the content
- delivered more than 3 million text messages with another 3m to come next month
- broadcast daily radio spots on 10 channels
- put up 15+ billboards,
- shared influencer videos featuring actors and high-profile people on TV
- delivered more than 160,000+ brochures across opt.
During the holy month of Ramadan, from late April to late May, the COVID-19 RCCE Campaign continues to focus on messaging to help contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The latest weekly social media cards and videos are being shared for two weeks until June 2 are being shared across multiple channels via the UN and 30+ partners and focus on:
- Advice for Eid shopping
- Dealing with money
- Education (Tawjihi)
- Caring for People with disability during COVID-19
- Nutrition during Eid
- Social/physical distancing during EID
- Good food hygiene practices
- Encouragement to stop smoking
- How to pray safely in the mosque
- Safe practice for workplaces
If you’d like access to this campaign, get in touch with WHO Communications Specialist Alice Plate: platea@who.int.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 30

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Update 30

Highlights

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