The Yemeni government has appealed to the international community for help in dealing with a surge of coronavirus cases across the war-ravaged country.
Yemen has only officially registered 130 cases of the virus and 20 deaths, but health infrastructure problems caused by a long conflict between the government and Houthi rebels are hindering tests.
WHO models project half of Yemen’s 30 million population could become infected, resulting in more than 40,000 deaths.
Yemen’s Health Minister Nasser Ba’aom and Minister of Local Administration Abdul Raqib Fatah made the plea for international assistance on Sunday.
“We need PPE supplies, ventilators and finance for the medical workers who work in the Covid-19 centres,” Dr Ba’aom said.
“We also need medical equipment such as a complete biological unit, testing kits, field hospitals, beds for the ICUs.
"Additionally, we still need food aid as well as water, sanitation and hygiene equipment.”
The appeal followed similar pleas from medical staff in treatment centres across government-controlled areas.
"We have been facing a severe shortage in the medical supplies needed to handle with Covid-19 cases," a doctor in Aden told The National.
"The testing equipment and kits are very few.
"We also need personal protective equipment, and equipment with all the medical solutions needed to test suspected cases.
“Many suspected cases arrive in the centre on a daily basis but we do nothing for them because we don’t have testing materials that enable us to identify whether the patient has Covid-19 or another disease."
Health authorities in Yemen face additional challenges battling the pandemic during the war time.
They also have a lack of experienced and qualified medical staff, and those who are qualified fear they will catch the virus.
“We face a lot of challenges in the fight to curb the pandemic. We don’t have a clear strategic vision for health so far,” said Dr Jamal Khadabakhish, Aden’s health director.
Coronavirus around the region: in photos
“The rapid spread of the pandemic in the country added new challenges.
"Some public sector medical staff still refuse to go to their workplaces. They still have a pandemic phobia even though we provided them with enough personal protective equipment.”
Dr Khadabakhish said medical staff were afraid to work because of the large number of deaths among their colleagues.
Other regions reported different issues.
“We have the testing kits but we really face a shortage in personal protective equipment,” said Dr Riyadh Al Gerari, head of the Supreme National Committee Combating Covid-19 in Hadramawt.
The Ministry of Health reported six new cases in Hadramawt on Sunday, raising the number of recorded cases in nine government-controlled provinces to 128. Two more were reported on Tuesday.
The EU responded quickly to the government’s appeal, promising €55 million (Dh220.8m/US60.1$m) to “build a strong and co-ordinated European response in Yemen”.
“The EU will reorient ongoing support to help Yemen respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in the immediate and short-term,” the bloc said.
“Ongoing projects in the health sector will be recalibrated focusing on training medical staff, strengthening the network of community healthcare workers, strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities, improving health services and empowering local development.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
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The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
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Rating: 3.5/5
