Coronavirus disease 2019?(COVID-19) Situation Report 31
occupied Palestinian territory, issued 28 May 2020
Information for period: 5 March – 28?May?2020
Highlights
- A total of?614?COVID-19 cases in oPt: 553?in West Bank?and?61?in Gaza Strip
- One death and 31 new confirmed cases reported in Gaza?in?the past week
- WHO delivered?10,000?personal protective equipment kits?to?Ministry of?Health
- A new?supply portal has been launched on the global COVID-19 response coordination?platform to support procurement for all partners
- The next situation report will be issued on 11 June.
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).
WHO delivered?a?truckload?of essential medical supplies including 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment Kits and antiseptic to protect frontline health?workers?caring for?COVID-19 patients on May 28. Thanks to generous support of Government of Kuwait??
Coordination,?planning?and monitoring
A ?has been launched on the global COVID-19 response coordination platform to support procurement for partners.
All partners are encouraged to subscribe and submit their requests for procurement of medical supplies for laboratory testing, case management and infection prevention and control through the portal.
Brief guidance is available?.
Surveillance
- The total number of cases in oPt is?614, including 552?cases in the West Bank and?61?in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, most cases are from East Jerusalem (179), Jerusalem Governorate (140), followed by?Hebron (78)?Ramallah (77)?and?Bethlehem (59).?A total of 11 health workers are among those confirmed cases
- To-date, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported a total of?483?cases have recovered:?465?in West Bank?(including?118?in East Jerusalem) and?18?in?Gaza?and five?people have died in the oPt:?case?fatality rate?(CFR) is 0.81%
- About?two-thirds (64%) of all confirmed cases are male (279?cases) and about 82% of all cases (358?cases) are below the age of 50 years in the oPt, excluding East Jerusalem.
Laboratory diagnostics
- A total of?54,000?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?9,335?samples?have?been tested, including some outside of Gaza
- 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
- In the Gaza Strip,?one death and?31?new?confirmed?cases?were?reported?in the past week, raising the?total?number of confirmed cases to 61.?A?total of?18?people?have?recovered from COVID-19, of which?13?were discharged?home and?five?were moved?to quarantine facilities at Rafah?crossing.?Forty-two?active cases?remain?in isolation at Rafah crossing field hospital
- More than?1,496?people are in one of the 14?operational quarantine facilities which include designated primary health facilities,?schools?or hotels
- Today WHO procured and delivered?a?truckload?of essential medical supplies including 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment Kits and antiseptic?to protect frontline health workers that?care for COVID-19 patients.?The delivery featured?30,000 surgical masks,?10,000 N95 masks,?5,000 coveralls,?6,000 face shields,?3,700 goggles and?5,000 (500ml) containers of alcogel.?These essential items will allow health workers to do their jobs safely and with confidence, free from the fear of infection
- This delivery was made possible?with the?generous support?of the Government of Kuwait which has provided?substantial funding for?the COVID-19 response in Palestine. This funding will continue to provide the?Ministry of Health¡¯s facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with medical equipment and disposables, in line with the Palestinian Authority¡¯s National COVID-19 response plan
- WHO?and UNICEF continue to scale up procurement efforts to mobilize life-saving essential Intensive Care Unit and ventilator equipment?locally and?through global supply?mechanisms.
East Jerusalem?
- As of May?27,?2020?(10:00?am), the?Palestinian Authority¡¯s Ministry of Health reported 179?COVID-19 cases in East Jerusalem. 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?MoH.?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.
Health Access
Palestinian patients continue to face barriers to accessing healthcare despite a sharp decline in referrals and patient permit applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020:
- 29% of Gaza patient permit applications and 30% of West Bank patient permit applications were unsuccessful
- 94% decline in Gaza patient permit applications and 90% decline in West Bank patient permit applications
Read more in WHO¡¯s latest monthly access report:?
More local information
d 28?May 2020
Information for period: 5 March – 28?May?2020
Highlights
- A total of?614?COVID-19 cases in oPt: 553?in West Bank?and?61?in Gaza Strip
- One death and 31 new confirmed cases reported in Gaza?in?the past week
- WHO delivered?10,000?personal protective equipment kits?to?Ministry of?Health
- A new?supply portal has been launched on the global COVID-19 response coordination?platform to support procurement for all partners
- The next situation report will be issued on 11 June.
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).
WHO delivered?a?truckload?of essential medical supplies including 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment Kits and antiseptic to protect frontline health?workers?caring for?COVID-19 patients on May 28. Thanks to generous support of Government of Kuwait??
Coordination,?planning?and monitoring
A ?has been launched on the global COVID-19 response coordination platform to support procurement for partners.
All partners are encouraged to subscribe and submit their requests for procurement of medical supplies for laboratory testing, case management and infection prevention and control through the portal.
Brief guidance is available?.
Surveillance
- The total number of cases in oPt is?614, including 552?cases in the West Bank and?61?in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, most cases are from East Jerusalem (179), Jerusalem Governorate (140), followed by?Hebron (78)?Ramallah (77)?and?Bethlehem (59).?A total of 11 health workers are among those confirmed cases
- To-date, the Ministry of Health (MoH) reported a total of?483?cases have recovered:?465?in West Bank?(including?118?in East Jerusalem) and?18?in?Gaza?and five?people have died in the oPt:?case?fatality rate?(CFR) is 0.81%
- About?two-thirds (64%) of all confirmed cases are male (279?cases) and about 82% of all cases (358?cases) are below the age of 50 years in the oPt, excluding East Jerusalem.
Laboratory diagnostics
- A total of?54,000?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?9,335?samples?have?been tested, including some outside of Gaza
- 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
- In the Gaza Strip,?one death and?31?new?confirmed?cases?were?reported?in the past week, raising the?total?number of confirmed cases to 61.?A?total of?18?people?have?recovered from COVID-19, of which?13?were discharged?home and?five?were moved?to quarantine facilities at Rafah?crossing.?Forty-two?active cases?remain?in isolation at Rafah crossing field hospital
- More than?1,496?people are in one of the 14?operational quarantine facilities which include designated primary health facilities,?schools?or hotels
- Today WHO procured and delivered?a?truckload?of essential medical supplies including 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment Kits and antiseptic?to protect frontline health workers that?care for COVID-19 patients.?The delivery featured?30,000 surgical masks,?10,000 N95 masks,?5,000 coveralls,?6,000 face shields,?3,700 goggles and?5,000 (500ml) containers of alcogel.?These essential items will allow health workers to do their jobs safely and with confidence, free from the fear of infection
- This delivery was made possible?with the?generous support?of the Government of Kuwait which has provided?substantial funding for?the COVID-19 response in Palestine. This funding will continue to provide the?Ministry of Health¡¯s facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with medical equipment and disposables, in line with the Palestinian Authority¡¯s National COVID-19 response plan
- WHO?and UNICEF continue to scale up procurement efforts to mobilize life-saving essential Intensive Care Unit and ventilator equipment?locally and?through global supply?mechanisms.
East Jerusalem?
- As of May?27,?2020?(10:00?am), the?Palestinian Authority¡¯s Ministry of Health reported 179?COVID-19 cases in East Jerusalem. 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?MoH.?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.
Health Access
Palestinian patients continue to face barriers to accessing healthcare despite a sharp decline in referrals and patient permit applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020:
- 29% of Gaza patient permit applications and 30% of West Bank patient permit applications were unsuccessful
- 94% decline in Gaza patient permit applications and 90% decline in West Bank patient permit applications
Read more in WHO¡¯s latest monthly access report:?
More local information
Document Type: Situation Report, Update
Document Sources: World Health Organization (WHO)
Country: Palestine
Subject: Health
Publication Date: 28/05/2020
URL source:
Document Sources: World Health Organization (WHO)
Country: Palestine
Subject: Health
Publication Date: 28/05/2020
URL source: