UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2020) The first COVID-19 case was recorded in Syria's northwest this week, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday.
"Our humanitarian colleagues also tell us that the first COVID-19 case in northwest Syria was confirmed yesterday," Dujarric said. "The patient had reportedly been isolated at the Bab al-Hawa Hospital in northern Idlib governorate since exhibiting symptoms on 5 July."
Dujarric said that following the positive test result, contact tracing was activated.
He also noted that even though the number of cases across the country remains relatively low, the overall risk of the infection is high, especially in the northwest, with a large number of displaced people.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Syria has reached 394 with 16 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
