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#COVID19 pandemic is indeed out of control in Syria, although there is no official data to reveal the extent of devastation wreaked by the virus in regime-held areas. While the regime claims only 64 deaths, Syrian doctors have recorded that many dead among medical staff only. 1/ https://twitter.com/skayyali1/status/1295250190753058817
The regime shut down all PCR centers and assigned only one center in Damascus for those who want to take the test before leaving the country. A video shows the enormous crowd waiting for their turns to get in. 2/ https://hadiabdullah.net/2020/08/13/ ازدحام-هائل-وحالة-من-التوتر-وارتفاع-ال/
There is no place for people with #COVID19 to go as the capacity of the regime's health system to deal with the pandemic has never been established, despite its claims to have "the world looking to Syria for a model of successfully fighting the virus". 3/ https://twitter.com/ejbeals/status/1294619178025005058?s=20
Regime-sanctioned suppliers are selling oxygen cylinders for high prices which most people cannot afford. Price expected to reach 700k syp or even 1M syp without any monitoring over prices. 4/ https://www.orient-news.net/ar/news_show/183476/كيف-تنتعش-تجارة-أسطوانات-الأوكسجين-في-مناطق-ميليشيا-أسد؟
We warned about what would happen as far back as April. Syrians familiar with the state of affairs in regime-held areas were always aware that the regime's corruption and incompetence would result in devastating consequences for the people. 5/ https://medium.com/@SACD/regimes-corruption-and-repression-worsen-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-syrians-b2da9c91879b
In May, we issued a detailed briefing to warn about these consequences and the regime's using the pandemic only to try to have the sanctions against its officials lifted, while completely neglecting the response to the spread of the virus. 6/ https://medium.com/@SACD/assads-model-of-fighting-covid19-forget-syrian-lives-use-the-crisis-to-annul-economic-a729d003ca3
From the outset, the Syrian regime has targeted everyone who warned or alerted Syrians of the spread of the disease. Doctors, media and public figures who spoke about the spread of the disease among Syrians in areas under the regime’s control were threatened and detained. 7/
Hospitals in regime areas don't admit Covid patients anymore, w suspicions the ventilators and oxygen are being reserved for those with “connections” to the regime. As we warned would happen. 8/ https://www.orient-news.net/ar/news_show/183476/كيف-تنتعش-تجارة-أسطوانات-الأوكسجين-في-مناطق-ميليشيا-أسد؟
We are also worried by the trend of the UN in Damascus failing to report on the true extent of the crisis caused by the pandemic. As long as the truth is not acknowledged, there can be no proper response to implement the necessary measures and save Syrian lives. 9/
We call on the governments which are the primary funders of the humanitarian response in Syria to take seriously ours and the warnings of others reporting on the true impact of #COVID19 and insist that the UN reports the real numbers and mounts an adequate response. 10/10
According to @SyriaContext investigation there are hundreds dead of #COVID19 in Damascus alone and between 60-100K active cases. https://twitter.com/ejbeals/status/1296060735638900737?s=20
