WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th June, 2020) A United Nations-led team of public health specialists will assess the situation regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Libya later this month, US cardiac surgeon Bill Novick told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"We were supposed to come in and help establish dialogue between all the different parts of Libya to talk about how COVID-19 is spreading, how we can stop the spread, test more people and cause a cross-country political dialogue on the control of COVID-19," Novick, who is member of the team, said.
The team is named Track to Dialogue on Medical Care in Libya and was approved by the UN Special Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the UN Development Project (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
UNDP invited Novick because he has visited Libya and conducted surgeries there for years, and knows medical specialists in different parties of the country.
On Monday, Libya reported 256 novel coronavirus cases and five virus-related deaths.
However, Novick suggested that bad accounting may be the reason for the relatively low reported numbers.
"The problem is that they have tested only several thousands of people. I do not think Libya knows how bad COVID-19 is in the country," he said.
Novick explained that he plans to start working in Tripoli in order to establish the relationship with the Libyan Center of Disease Control as well as work with the crisis team established by the local authorities.
"Once we establish that, my plans are to move to Benghazi and to work with the Eastern Crisis Team that has been established by the Eastern government," Novick said. "Depending on how things go, I am hoping to get down to the south to Sabha and work with physicians there."
Novick noted that he led his Cardiac Alliance team in Libya in early February - prior to the novel coronavirus outbreak - to conduct complicated pediatric cardiac surgeries.
Part of the team had to leave Tripoli a week ahead of the schedule because the authorities began closing the borders to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the remainder remained in Libya for another week.
