Medical workers in about half of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region lack protection against COVID-19 due to their working conditions, which could lead to an increase in virus transmissions from patients to medical staff, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2020) Medical workers in about half of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region lack protection against COVID-19 due to their working conditions, which could lead to an increase in virus transmissions from patients to medical staff, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), said on Tuesday.
"In almost half of the countries in our region many of these staff work in healthcare settings that have weak infection prevention and control measures. This can have critical consequences in increasing transmission of the disease from patients to healthcare workers and from healthcare workers to other healthcare," Al-Mandhari said during a press conference.
According to him, almost all medical staff in the Eastern Mediterranean region become infected while working in the COVID-19 facilities.
"The limited data received indicates that more than 90 percent of health workers in our region become infected within health facilities where they are exposed to the deadly virus. The average age of health workers infected in our region is 35 years, with infections reported among females slightly more than those reported among males. Overall infections are reported among nurses and physicians more than any other profession. We cannot afford to lose even one more of these professionals," the regional director said.
The WHO regional director also noted that the health workers are subject to stigma and violence as potential carriers of the disease in these countries.
"In some cases, health workers are faced with stigma and discrimination, as they are accused of being carriers of the disease [COVID-19] and are subjected to physical and psychological violence. Healthcare workers are also at risk of becoming infected or losing their lives and many fear transmitting the infection to their families and loved ones," he stated.
Meanwhile, Regional Emergency Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Richard Brennan said that the regional countries accounted for some 7 percent of the overall number of COVID-19 cases in the world.
"This region, our 22 countries, is home to 9 percent of the world's population and we have had about 7 percent of the world's cases," Brennan told a virtual briefing.
According to the official's presentation, the Eastern Mediterranean region has registered a 27-percent increase in cases and a 13-percent increase in deaths caused by the COVID-19 this week. Brennan noted that the surge in cases reported by the Gulf countries was associated with increased testing capacity.
According to the data by the WHO EMRO, there are 273,880 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 22 of the region's countries. The total death toll is at 9,138, with Iran, Saudi Arabi and Pakistan being the most-affected.
