Yemen: Houthis report 1st COVID-19 case in rebel-held areas

By Mubarak Mohamed and Abdullah Ahmed

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Yemen's Houthi rebel group on Tuesday confirmed the first coronavirus case in areas under their control.
A testing on a Somali immigrant, who had died in a hotel in Sanaa, proved that he had been infected with the virus, the group-affiliated Al Masirah TV quoted Taha al-Motawakel, Health Minister of the self-proclaimed Houthi government, as saying.
Houthis have been accused of hiding information about the virus outbreak in areas under their control.
Earlier Tuesday, health authorities of the internationally recognized Yemeni government said the number of coronavirus infections reached to 21, including three deaths and one recovery.
After appearing in Wuhan, China late last year, the virus has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.
More than 3.6 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with nearly 252,000 deaths and over 1.1 million recoveries.
Writing by Mahmoud Barakat