Possible COVID-19 Outbreak In Libya To Be 'Catastrophic' Amid Protracted Conflict - OCHA

Should a COVID-19 outbreak begin in Libya, it will overwhelm the war-torn country's already overstretched healthcare system, Jennifer Bose Ratka, public information officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2020) Should a COVID-19 outbreak begin in Libya, it will overwhelm the war-torn country's already overstretched healthcare system, Jennifer Bose Ratka, public information officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Libya, told Sputnik.

"A possible outbreak of the virus would be catastrophic. Libya is at high risk of the spread of COVID-19 given its growing levels of insecurity, political fragmentation, weak health system and high numbers of migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons. Libya's already overstretched health system is not ready to deal with a spread of the virus in this fragile context caused by the protracted conflict," Ratka said.

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Libya on March 25. The country's response measures risk being greatly undermined by a long-lasting conflict between two rival administrations, in the east and the west, with ongoing occasional armed hostilities.

"As Libyan hospitals continue to take in injured fighters following a consistently ignored ceasefire in 2020, these medical establishments will now have to brace for the task of containment of COVID-19. The lack of well-equipped intensive care units and medical equipment means that the country will struggle to deal with a major outbreak. With an already weak health system and with most Libyans seeking health care abroad, the implications of a serious COVID-19 outbreak in Libya could be catastrophic," Ratka said.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called upon the rival governments to lay down arms and adhere to the temporary draft ceasefire agreement negotiated by the Libyan Joint Military Commission (5+5) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.