On Saturday, the International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was worried about COVID-19 in Somalia where violence and conflict have weakened local communities around the country.
According to the ICRC statement, the country is at a critical juncture in that it can put several measures in place to negate the spread of Coronavirus. ICRC believes the Horn of Africa nation is capable of saving more lives.
So far, Somalia has confirmed seven COVID-19 cases none of whom has died. Moreover, one of the patients has recovered fully and no longer displays any symptoms associated with the global pandemic.
The head of ICRC’s delegation in Somalia, Juerg Eglin, said the country is at a crossroads. He says, “We can scale up to get all the information needed by communities all over the country rapidly. Alternatively, we can be slow and fail to catch up while COVID-19 ravages Somalis.”
Eglin added that acting quickly is the critical to the success of all measures put in place to protect Somalis. He asserted that his organization continues to work closely with Somali Red Crescent to block COVID-19 from taking a firm control over the country.