Yemen was one of the last countries worldwide to declare a confirmed case of Covid-19 (10 April). In a nation facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis our partner organisation knew it had to act quickly to prevent the spread of the virus.
At the time of writing, Yemen now has 233 confirmed cases and 44 deaths. As is the case in many countries the actual figures are likely to be higher because of challenges in carrying out coronavirus tests, particularly in a conflict zone.
If coronavirus takes a stronger grip in Yemen it will be devastating as many hospitals and health facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.
Across Yemen 24 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and 9.9 million are at risk of starvation. The nation is also facing one of the biggest cholera outbreaks on record, with more than one million cases reported.
