Urgent call from Rojava authorities to prevent COVID-19 'catastrophe'

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish health authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava) have made an urgent call for help to international organizations as they continue to battle COVID-19, hitting out at the World Health Organization (WHO) for not doing enough to get vaccines to the autonomous area.

“We have reached a really dangerous stage. The situation is leading to a catastrophe in northeast Syria. The number of cases is increasing and we are unable to stop this,” Jwan Mustafa, the co-chair of Rojava’s health board, told reporters on Monday.

Authorities have an “urgent call to all international organizations, especially the World Health Organization, to immediately intervene to prevent a catastrophe in northeast Syria," he added.

Rojava recorded 298 new coronavirus cases and three deaths in 24 hours, the health board said on Sunday, with a total of 12,236 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic.

But Mustafa warns the real number of cases "is much higher."

Rojava has previously taken several short-term measures to curb the spread of the virus.

A “full lockdown” across the region was announced on Sunday, and will take effect from Tuesday.

Pharmacies, hospitals, humanitarian organizations, media professionals, bakeries, and petrol stations will be exempt from the ban; grocery shops are allowed to be open from 8 am until 5 am.

The WHO office in Syria told Rudaw English late March that they will send 136,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Rojava in May as part of the 912,000 doses dedicated to Syria.

However, Mustafa accused WHO of not being serious in its efforts to provide the vaccine and other aid needed to fight the virus.

“The World Health Organization has not been serious in presenting any assistance to northeast Syria. None of the things we have discussed with the World Health Organization has been turned into action. It is only talk.”