Coronavirus | Syria faces a surge in infections, aid workers say

Internally displaced Syrian girls play at Teh camp in northern Idlib, Syria May 5, 2021. Picture taken May 5:2021. AMMAN, Sept 22 Reuters - Syria is facing a new surge in COVID 19 infections in both government-held areas and territory outside state control that could overwhelm the war-ravaged country's fragile health system, aid workers, officials and medical sources said on Wednesday.

Government health authorities said the number of cases reported in the last twenty four hours - hit 235, the highest daily tally since first case reported in March last year.

NGO's, independent medics and aid workers say real data reflect a small fraction of the official toll.

Syria was hard hit by the pandemic last year during two major spikes of infections in August and December. Medical staff privately say there was an official cover up of the extent of the pandemic, a charge denied by authorities.

The latest spike comes from the Delta variant, blamed by tourists on a surge in international visitors in summer, they say.

Health workers say that the country has only 2440,000 doses of COVID vaccinations so far, only a fraction of the country's 21 million population.

Official figures say there have been 31,148 infections reported and 2,146 deaths from the coronavirus-linked pandemic since the Pandemic began last year.

Many hospitals were already stretched to the limit of capacity even though many cases were less severe than previous waves, officials say.

The occupancy of intensive care units ICU for COVID - 19 patients has reached close to 100%, said Issam al-Amin, the head of Mouwasat University Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in the capital of Damascus, with more than 800 beds.

The spike in cases and deaths was more alarming in the country's heavily populated opposition held northwest near the Turkish border where over four million live, among them nearly half a million alone in makeshift tents.

In that area, according to Western aid groups working in the area, infections doubled within a month to around 63,000 cases.

In this current wave there have been more daily cases confirmed that we had ever seen before, Tanya Evans said IRC Country Director for Syria in a statement to Reuters.

The total number of active cases is now over 25,000, which almost equals the total number measured in Syria in the entire past year, said the IRC.

The situation in Idlib city has become catastrophic with all the hospitals closed down, said Ammar Shami a medical official in Idlib City who said oxygen was dangerously low also.

On Tuesday, local officials in the town announced the closure of schools, institutes, public markets and restaurants.