Governments in the Middle East need to act fast to limit the spread of the coronavirus after cases rose to nearly 60,000, almost double their level a week earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
“New cases have been reported in some of the most vulnerable countries with fragile health systems,” said Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the WHO’s director for the Eastern Mediterranean region.
“Even in countries with stronger heath systems, we have seen a worrying spike in the numbers of cases and deaths reported,” he said in a statement.
“I cannot stress enough the urgency of the situation,” said Mandhari.
“The increasing numbers of cases show that transmission is rapidly occurring at local and community levels,” he has warned.
“We still have a window of opportunity, but this window is slowly closing day by day,” he added.
