麻豆APP

November 2020
Information for period: 5 March – 12?November 2020

Highlights

• On 11 November, 300 new COVID-19 cases reported in?the?Gaza Strip, the highest number?in a?24-hour?period?since the?beginning?of the outbreak
• Health Authorities in the Gaza Strip are reporting continued?chronic?shortages of laboratory supplies for COVID-19 testing
• The Ministry of?Health and?partners made further preparations for the?introduction?of the COVID-19 vaccine?when it becomes available

WHO is continuing to work with partners to support Ministry of Health’s (MoH) efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Key Performance?Indicators

?Coordination,?planning?and monitoring???

• The Prime Minister’s Office?for?the?Palestinian Authority?has established a National Coordination Committee for introduction of COVID-19 vaccine with participation of key line ministries, national experts and international partners?to ensure that the health system and the eligible population is ready when the vaccine becomes available
• The occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is eligible to receive?financial support for?immunisation?of an estimated 20% of its population for protecting the most vulnerable in the population, such as health workers, elderly people aged over 65 years and those with pre-existing health conditions
• The Committee will?discuss and?develop an?action plan for the oPt based on the findings?of the?), which?MoH?and international partners completed to?provide?a roadmap?for?the introduction of the?COVID-19 vaccine and a structured framework to self-monitor readiness?and?progress against?key?milestones
• A?joint Health Cluster meeting for Gaza and West Bank?was held?on November 11,?attended by 50?partners.?Partners highlighted priority needs?for Gaza’s?COVID-19 response?(outlined below). In addition, the?MoH?highlighted the need to intensify efforts to protect healthcare workers as the number of infected workers continues to rise, creating further constraints?for??the?health system. Partners were provided with an update on the Humanitarian Response Plan?process.?The?Cluster highlighted the?need for?greater?local NGO?participation in the submission of projects,?and training of all partners?on mainstreaming gender, age and protection against sexual exploitation and abuse.

GAZA IN-FOCUS

The WHO head of office, also?acting?as the?UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Dr Gerald Rockenschaub, visited the Gaza Strip from 9-10 November to meet with local authorities?to discuss?the?progress and challenges of the?COVID-19 response?and made the following observations:

• Health authorities are reporting?an?increasing?number of?mild and moderate cases?(see?COVID-19?capacity analysis below)
• There?is concern of potential increase in the number of severe cases?as more cases are?being?reported among older people over 60,?particularly female
• Health officials continue to report?laboratory?supplies and kits?at low?stock levels. While?this?remains a concern,?testing in Gaza has not been delayed, with more than 2,500 tests a day being conducted. Authorities estimate 120,000 tests?(?for?an estimated?US?$2.8?million) are needed until the end of 2020 and WHO is working to?mobilize resources to?procure?the required quantities from global suppliers.?Further?resources are needed to cover?existing funding gaps
• Health authorities report a shortage of?oxygen supply for COVID-19 patients?at the dedicated COVID-19?hospital, the European Gaza Hospital
• WHO?is?recommending?and advocating?stricter adherence to public health measures to better control?the further spread of the?disease.

Analysis of?COVID-19 case management?capacity in Gaza:?
Local health authorities?report?a?capacity to?admit and treat?3,234 COVID-19 cases, as of November 12:

• 60?ICU?beds?with ventilators?are available?in European Gaza Hospital?(EGH)?for critical cases.?EGH?ICU?is?at 21%?occupancy rate, with 13?of?60 beds?currently?utilised.?Another 11?ventilators are?being installed
• 590 beds?are dedicated?for mild?and?moderate cases?(at?87%?occupancy rate,?512?of 590?beds?currently?utilised?at three sites), including: 240 beds in EGH?–?187 beds?currently?utilised,?170?beds in?Turkish Hospital?– fully utilised,?180 beds?for mild or asymptomatic cases in Ihsan Agha school adjacent to EGH. Currently,?155 beds utilised
• 2,554 beds?are available?for?isolation of?asymptomatic cases?in 20 isolation?centres

Surveillance??

• The WHO risk assessment remains very high
• An?epidemiological?analysis of?trends in the last week?(04 – 10 November) highlight:
• oPt?reported?almost the same number of newly confirmed cases?was reported?as?in?the previous week (28 Oct to 3 Nov).?However,?the?number of new cases reported in?the?Gaza?Strip?continues to?increase:?from 1,619?last week?to 1,719 this week.?On 11 November, 300 new confirmed cases were reported?in Gaza?– the highest number?over a?24-hour?period
• Gaza accounts for almost 40% of all active cases in?the?oPt,?followed by the West Bank governorates of?Nablus (17.8%), Bethlehem (11.8%), Jerusalem?(6.8%),?Hebron (5.6%)?and Ramallah (4.3%)
• The?number of?deaths has decreased from 44 to 33, with?an?overall Case Fatality Rate?(CFR)?of 0.85% since the beginning of the outbreak. The CFR is?the?proportion of deaths among identified confirmed cases
• The number?of new cases among health workers did not change significantly.

Laboratory diagnostics???

• A?total of?580,341?laboratory samples have been tested for COVID-19 according?to?MoH.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Isolation and Case Management, Operations Support and Logistics?

• 11,74?Palestinians are in quarantine (home or facility-based) to prevent further spread of the disease
• Capacity building activities?continue,?targeting health workers in the Gaza?Strip.?The?seventh group of 17?maternal and child health workers have completed infection prevention training, conducted by the Palestinian National Institute of Public Health?and?WHO.

East Jerusalem

• The Palestinian Authority’s (PA)?financial crisis continues to?impactthe?financial sustainability of the East Jerusalem Hospitals.?A total of US?$68 million?debts and payment delays?to?the EJHN?are?jeopardizing operations of the?EJ?hospitals
• The?debt affects the operational capacity of?East Jerusalem?hospitals?at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in their revenues (a?30% reduction since July?2020) due to the?reduction of referrals and?reduced?utilization of health services.

More local information