2020 coronavirus pandemic in Libya

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2020 coronavirus pandemic in Libya
Libya Map Covi-19.svg
Map of districts in Libya with number of confirmed cases (as of 01 May 2020)
Disease COVID-19
Virus strain SARS-CoV-2
Location Libya
First outbreak Wuhan, China
Index case Tripoli
Arrival date24 March 2020
(1 month, 1 week and 1 day)
Confirmed cases63 [1]
Recovered18 [1]
Deaths
3 [1]
Official website
covid19.ly

An ongoing epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was officially spread to Libya in March 2020, when the first case was officially confirmed in Tripoli on 24 March.

Contents

Libya is considered especially vulnerable to the epidemic due to the ongoing Libyan Civil War, which has led to a dire humanitarian situation [2] and a destruction of the nation's health infrastructure. [3]

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. [4] [5]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, [6] [7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll. [8] [6]

Timeline

March 2020

COVID-19 cases in Libya  ()
     Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases
Date
# of cases
# of deaths
2020-03-24
1(n.a.)
1(=)
2020-03-28
3(+200%)
2020-03-29
8(+167%)
8(=)
2020-03-31
10(+25%)
10(=)
2020-04-02
11(+10%)1(n.a.)
2020-04-03
17(+55%)1(=)
2020-04-04
18(+5.9%)1(=)
18(=)1(=)
2020-04-06
19(+5.6%)1(=)
2020-04-07
20(+5.3%)1(=)
2020-04-08
21(+5%)1(=)
2020-04-09
24(+14%)1(=)
24(=)1(=)
2020-04-11
25(+4.2%)1(=)
2020-04-12
25(=)1(=)
2020-04-13
26(+4%)1(=)
2020-04-14
35(+35%)1(=)
2020-04-15
48(+37%)1(=)
2020-04-16
49(+2.1%)1(=)
49(=)1(=)
2020-04-19
51(+4.1%)1(=)
2020-04-20
51(=)1(=)
2020-04-21
59(+16%)1(=)
2020-04-22
60(+1.7%)1(=)
2020-04-23
60(=)2(+100%)
2020-04-24
61(+1.7%)2(=)
61(=)2(=)
2020-04-30
61(=)3(+50%)
2020-05-01
63(+3.3%)3(=)

Sources:

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Libya's healthcare system was already on the verge of collapse, given the chaos that has prevailed in the country since 2011. [10] Warring factions in the Libyan Civil War disregarded repeated entreaties from the United Nations for a ceasefire during the pandemic. [3] [11]

The internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, and the rival government under Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, both took steps to control the spread of COVID-19, through the closure of schools, markets, and some businesses. [10] Haftar's forces have attempted to take Tripoli, the Libyan capital, in an offensive that began in April 2019. [10] Hundreds have been killed, and thousands have been displaced, in the fighting. [10]

On 24 March, Libya confirmed its first COVID-19 case, [2] a 73-year-old man who had returned to the country in early March from a trip to Saudi Arabia. [10]

On March 30, the GNA announced the release of 466 detainees in Tripoli, as part of an effort to stop the spread of the virus in prisons. [10]

April 2020

On 2 April, Libya confirmed its first COVID-19 death. It was an 85-year-old Algerian woman.

On April 5, Mahmoud Jibril, age 68, who headed the interim National Transitional Council in 2011, died from COVID-19 in Cairo, Egypt, having been admitted to the hospital on March 21. [12]

On April 6, Forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar launched a Grad rocket attack [13] against Al Khadra General Hospital, one of Tripoli's largest hospitals, injured six health workers and substantially damaged the hospital, [3] where 300 patients, including two COVID-19 patients, were being treated. [13] This was the third time that Haftar's forces attacked medical facilities during their intensified siege of Tripoli. [13] The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the attack as an "appalling" and "clear violation of international humanitarian law ... It is unacceptable at a time when healthcare and health workers are vital in our fight against a global pandemic." [3] The office stated that "This senseless escalation must stop so that health authorities and aid agencies can respond to COVID-19 and continue reaching people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance." [11] Renewed rocket attacks against the hospital continued the following day. [13]

On April 7, Eastern Libya confirmed its first case. [14] By April 7, Libya had confirmed 20 cases of COVID-19, mostly in western Libya. [13]

On April 15, the Government of National Accord imposed a 24-hour curfew for a period of 10 days beginning on April 17. [15]

May 2020

Statistics

2020 coronavirus pandemic in 32 Libyan districts
District Confirmed Cases

(51)

Recov.

(11)

Deaths

(1)

Al Wahat ---
Benghazi 1--
Butnan ---
Derna ---
Ghat ---
Jabal al Akhdar ---
Jabal al Gharbi ---
Jafara ---
Kufra ---
Marj ---
Misrata 5--
Murqub ---
Murzuq ---
Nalut ---
Nuqat al Khams ---
Sabha ---
Sirte ---
Tripoli 201-
Wadi al Hayaa ---
Wadi al Shatii ---
Unspecified25011

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "متابعة فايروس كورونا في ليبيا". covid19.ly (in Arabic). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Libya confirms first coronavirus case amid fear over readiness". Reuters. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 UN condemns rocket attack on Tripoli hospital, Al Jazeera (April 7, 2020).
  4. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN   1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. "Total Coronavirus Cases in Libya". worldometers. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Libya frees more than 450 prisoners to stem spread of coronavirus, Al Jazeera (March 30, 2020).
  11. 1 2 Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, following today's attack on Al Khadra General Hospital in Tripoli, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (April 6, 2020).
  12. Former Libya Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril dies from coronavirus, Al Jazeera (April 5, 2020).
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Eastern Libyan Forces Attack Tripoli Hospital for Second Day, Associated Press (April 7, 2020).
  14. "Eastern Libya confirms first coronavirus case". Reuters. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  15. "Libya's internationally recognized government imposes 24-hour curfew for 10 days from April 17". Reuters. 15 April 2020.