CAIRO: The World Health Organization is urging Middle East and North African governments to “seize the opportunity” to combat the coronavirus while numbers of cases in the region are still relatively low.
“We have to seize the opportunity to act in the region because the rise in cases was not so rapid,” Yvan Hutin, director of the communicable diseases department at WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean office in Cairo, told AFP in an interview.
In the region at large, which for WHO stretches to Afghanistan, around 111,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded and more than 5,500 deaths.
That accounts for a small proportion of the more than two million cases and over 140,000 deaths declared worldwide from the pandemic.
The exception is Iran, the hardest hit in the region and where the official toll stands at 78,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
Hutin said it is hard to pinpoint a specific reason for the discrepancy.
“There may be demographic factors at play because we are dealing with youthful populations” in the region, he said, referring to the heavier death toll from COVID-19 among the elderly.
In conflict-ridden countries or “emergency situations” such as Libya, Syria and Yemen, low numbers have been reported.
But according to the epidemiologist, “just because we avoided a difficult situation the first time around, that doesn’t mean that it will stay like this.”
In Egypt, where Hutin led an assessment team last month, “it is clear that we have more transmissions now than a few weeks ago. But it still hasn’t reached an exponentially proliferating rate of transmission.”
To avoid a situation comparable to Europe or the United States with tens of thousands of deaths, Hutin said several inter-related responses were needed.
These include “community engagement, mobilizing entire health systems and preparation of hospitals for the arrival of severe cases.”
“The things that can be done are not necessarily very complicated,” he said, such as isolating patients with mild symptoms “in hotels, schools or army dormitories.”
For severe cases, “there is a lot that can be done such as transforming conventional hospital beds into intensive care ones.”
Another measure to avoid an explosion of COVID-19 cases in the region would be to increase the capacity for testing.
This can be done with “small machines that can give quick test results.”
Last week, WHO warned of a shortage of health workers in the region and of underreporting of coronavirus cases, as elsewhere across the globe.
Hutin stressed “the potential seriousness and ability of this virus to bring the health care system to its knees” if the region fails to take action.
Middle East and North African governments must prepare “for the possibility of things going wrong.”
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starting next week, when people gather to break daytime fasts, WHO has published a string of recommendations urging that social distancing be maintained.
WHO spurs Mideast to use its advantage in pandemic fight
https://arab.news/w6bam
WHO spurs Mideast to use its advantage in pandemic fight
- In the region at large, which for WHO stretches to Afghanistan, around 111,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded
- Another measure to avoid an explosion of COVID-19 cases in the region would be to increase the capacity for testing
Aoun reassures Lebanon that risk of war is ‘fading’ in year-end message
- Israeli military spokesperson said it targeted 380 armed operatives, 950 military sites in Lebanon in past year
- Beirut’s southern suburb residents pledge to avoid celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday sought to reassure citizens in his year-end address, saying “the overall atmosphere remains positive and the risk of war is fading,” amid widespread concern over a possible Israeli escalation against Hezbollah.
Fear of renewed attacks followed Israeli criticism of a Lebanese Army weapons-confiscation operation that is set to enter its second phase at the start of the 2026. The plan include the expansion from areas north of the Litani River to the Awali River, after the first phase was completed south of the Litani.
President Aoun cautioned that this does not mean “completely eliminating the risk of war,” stressing that “work is underway with various friendly and brotherly countries to completely neutralize the threat of war.”
Addressing Internal Security officials, Aoun said that the “situation is among the best,” noting that this assessment has been echoed by foreign visitors to Lebanon, despite the strain caused by large numbers of Syrian and Palestinian refugees.
He added that security forces were fully carrying out their duties and solving crimes with notable speed, pointing to the successful visit of Pope Leo XIV earlier this year as further evidence of progress.
On Monday, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa stressed during a Beirut press conference that implementing “international agreements and resolutions, foremost among them the Nov. 27, 2014 agreement and Resolution 1701, constitutes the fundamental approach to sparing Lebanon further security tensions,” speaking of “dire consequences that could result from continued escalation.”
The Egyptian diplomat indicated that “there are no hidden warnings or threats directed at Lebanon, but rather a clear commitment to the agreements signed by the concerned parties, which must be fully implemented by everyone.”
The ambassador stated that his country, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is “exerting intensive efforts to reduce tensions in southern Lebanon and the region in general, through active diplomatic contacts led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty with relevant regional and international parties.”
Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adraee published on Wednesday a summary of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2025.
“The Army targeted approximately 380 armed operatives, including Ali Tabatabai (chief of staff), Hassan Kamal (responsible for anti-tank missiles on the southern front), Abbas Hassan Karky (logistics officer in the southern command), and Khodr Saeed Hashem (commander of the naval force in the Radwan Unit),” he said.
“It also attacked approximately 950 military targets, including 210 launch sites and weapons depots, 140 military buildings, and about 60 tunnel entrances,” Adraee added.
In the statement, he accused Hezbollah of committing about 1,920 ceasefire violations and said the military would continue its raids and targeting operations in the new year.
UNIFIL Com. Gen. Diodato Abagnara said in his end-of-the-year message that “UNIFIL will continue to support Lebanon and Israel in implementing their obligations under Resolution 1701, building on the stability achieved in 2025 and strengthening efforts toward a lasting peace.”
As part of the weapons restriction plan, on Tuesday, the Fatah movement — the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon — handed over a new batch of heavy and medium weapons from the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp to the Lebanese Army in four trucks, away from the media.
This is the second batch of weapons to be handed over from the camp, which is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. It represents the fifth phase of the Palestinian weapons handover process in the camps, four of which were completed between Aug. 21 and Sept. 13, 2025, encompassing nine camps, including Ain Al-Hilweh.
The handover follows and implements an agreement reached between Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after the latter’s visit to Lebanon in May.
Abbas had announced “the Palestinian Authority’s support for the Lebanese state’s plan to extend its authority over all Lebanese territory, including the Palestinian camps.”
Hamas continues to refuse to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese Army, while Hezbollah maintains its weapons north of the Litani River.
The Lebanese Army implemented “exceptional security measures in various Lebanese regions on New Year’s Eve, with the aim of maintaining security.”
It called on citizens to “cooperate with the security measures taken to maintain public safety and prevent incidents,” warning of the consequences of firing weapons, which will be prosecuted as it poses a threat to public safety.
In another measure, authorities announced that gun licenses and traffic permits will be suspended until Jan. 2, 2026.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, residents signed a pledge as part of an Internal Security Forces campaign against celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve, committing not to fire weapons in public and to report violations with photos or videos.
