Four new coronavirus cases in northeast Syria: health official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish officials in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Thursday four new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the semi-autonomous region to six. Health officials warn that the number may increase.

Rojava health board co-chair Jwan Mustafa said in a press conference in Qamishli on Thursday that three women and a man tested positive to the virus.

“Ten people were tested and the results of four of them were positive. This brings the total number of coronavirus cases in northeast Syria to six, including the two cases announced in April,” he told reporters.

Three are from Qamishli and one from Hasaka, he added.

Mustafa called on people to adhere to health measures as “the virus is among us and we are at a serious stage.”

There are only a few polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines which have been provided by Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region.

Rojava Information Center (RIC), local monitor group, warned that Kurdish health officials have to be “extremely selective” when conducting tests as their ability is limited.

“With only a couple of thousand PCR testing strips available, health authorities in North and East Syria have to be extremely selective in who they test, and have conducted less than 200 coronavirus tests to date across a population of around 4,000,000,” it tweeted on Thursday.

The Syrian health ministry said Thursday that 23 more people tested positive to the virus, bringing the total number of cases in regime-held areas to 584. Of this 174 have recovered and 35 died.

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