Fighting at borders is making Libya’s response to COVID-19 particularly challenging. WHO has urged all armed groups in Libya to allow humanitarian agencies to obtain access to health care facilities on the ground, especially in the south, to help combat the recent surge in cases of COVID-19. The majority of cases are in Sebha municipality in the south, a major hub on the migration route from Africa to Europe.
Most of the 24 000 people displaced in recent weeks due to fighting are living in overcrowded conditions that allow for the easy spread of the virus. In addition, the country’s health system is near collapse, with three quarters of Primary Health Care Clinics not functioning due to shortages in medical staff, supplies, medicine, and equipment. These shortages have made it difficult to assess the true impact of COVID-19 on the population. With so few early detection sites functioning right now, infections can go undetected for weeks, allowing COVID-19 to spread easily within communities. WHO is working with health authorities and partners to enhance disease surveillance and monitoring and deliver critical supplies to support the response to COVID-19. WHO has delivered laboratory equipment, test kits and personal protection equipment (PPE) to the health authorities for distribution throughout the country. Ms Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Representative in Libya, says, “It is essential that medical aid reach the most vulnerable communities displaced by fighting and people who face the twin horrors of conflict and pandemic. Unfettered access to health care is a human right, now more than ever.”
Another pressing concern presently is the of access to vaccination services due to the pandemic . Of the US$ 3.3 million requested to support Libya during the pandemic, WHO has received US$ 2.95 million in contributions and firm pledges from China, the UK, France, Canada, Norway and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Read the full WHO/EMRO story about WHO’s support to conflict-ridden Libya during the pandemic