Coronavirus claims 20 more lives in Yemen in 2 days

By Mehmet Nuri Ucar

ISTANBUL (AA) - Yemeni health officials confirmed 20 new coronavirus fatalities on Friday and 197 additional infections in the past 48 hours.

The virus tally has reached 3,900 cases, including 820 fatalities, the National Committee for the Fight Against the Coronavirus said in a statement.

A total of 1,588 patients have won the battle against the virus, it said.

And the provinces of Aden, Hadhramaut and Shabwah have seen a significant surge in new infections and fatalities in recent days, it added.

Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh, in a statement last week, encouraged his counterparts in Arab countries to support Yemen in its struggle against the virus and other epidemic diseases.

The Doctors Without Borders medical charity group also warned that a significant increase has been observed in the number of cases across Yemen.

Yemen has been ravaged by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 30 million people accounting for 80% of the population needing humanitarian assistance and protection.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz