Yemeni Government Asks for International Aid to Fight COVID-19

Aden, MINA – Yemeni goverment internationally recognized calls on the global community to help fight the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and other diseases in the port city of Aden, when the death toll from a pandemic rises to 18.

The High National Emergency Committee based in Aden on Saturday said the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the government-controlled region rose to 122 after 37 new cases were detected in Aden, Hadramout and Lahj over the past two days.

In Aden, local government officials said hundreds of people had died since the beginning of last month when the city was hit by flash floods and heavy rain.

“Deaths from dengue fever, chikungunya, ebola, malaria, pneumonic plague and other ambiguous diseases are much higher than those caused by the new coronavirus. This is our real problem, “Salem Al-Khanbashi, Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the National High Emergency Committee, told Arab News.

He added that local health workers could not determine the cause of death of the patient due to the severe lack of medical equipment.

The Yemeni government has declared Aden a disaster zone after a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths caused by other diseases after floods destroyed the city’s infrastructure.

“We want international organizations to help us determine the true cause of death,” Al-Khanbashi said.

The Yemeni government recorded the first case of coronavirus on April 10 in the port city of Hadramout, Al-Sheher. (T/RE1)

Mii’raj News Agency (MINA)