ABSTRACT
BackgroundSince the Arab uprising 2011, Libya, Syria, and Yemen have gone through a major armed conflict. This resulted in a high rate of mortality, injury, and population displacement with a collapse of the health care system. Furthermore, it was complicated by the emergence of, COVID-19 as a global pandemic which made the population of these countries strive under unusual conditions to tackle both the pandemic and the ongoing wars. The objectives of this study were to determine the impacts and influence of armed conflicts on the epidemiology of Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) within these war-torn countries and outline the needed strategies to combat the spread of the pandemic and its upcoming consequences. MethodsThe official and public data regarding the dynamics of armed conflict and the spread, of SARS-COV-19 in Libya, Syria, and Yemen were collected from all available sources. Starting from the early emergence of the COVID-19 in each country until the end of December 2020. Datasets were analyzed through a set of statistical techniques and the weekly resolved data were used to probe the link between the intensity levels of the armed conflict and the spread of the pandemic. ResultsData indicated that there is an increase in the intensity of violence levels at an early stage from March to August reached up to two folds in the three countries particularly in Libya. In this violent period, few cases of COVID-19 were reported ranging from 5-53 cases/day. From September to December, a significant decline in the level of the armed conflict was accompanied by steep upsurges in the number of reported COVID-19 cases reached up to 500 cases/day. The highest accumulative cases of COVID-19 were reported in Libya, Syria, and Yemen respectively. ConclusionsOur analysis demonstrates that the armed conflict has provided an opportunity for SARS-COV-19 to spread. At the early weeks of the pandemic that coincided with high levels of the armed conflict few cases were officially reported indicating a vast undercount, which may suggest a hidden mitigating spread at an early stage. Then the pandemic increased immensely as the armed conflict decline to reach the highest by December. A full-blown transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic in these countries is expected. Therefore, urgent national and international strategies should be implemented to combat the pandemic and its upcoming consequences.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis and COVID-19 infections have been traced in Libya during the first 28 epi-weeks and spatiotemporal analysis was carried to determine the patterns of the concurrence of these infections. The data indicated that despite the slight decline in TB notification, the two infections are intertwined and showed synergetic spatiotemporal patterns which vary geographically during the pandemic period. Adequate integrated interventions policy to contain the two co-occurring infections should be considered
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , TuberculosisABSTRACT
Abstract Introduction: COVID-19 can have even more dire consequences in countries with ongoing armed conflict. Libya, the second largest African country, has been involved in a major conflict since 2011. This study analyzed the epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya, examined the impact of the armed conflict in Libya on the spread of the pandemic, and proposes strategies for dealing with the pandemic during this conflict. Methods: We collected the available information on all COVID-19 cases in the different regions of Libya, covering the period from March 25 to May 25, 2020. The cumulative number of cases and the daily new cases are presented in a way to illustrate the patterns and trends of COVID-19 and the effect of the ongoing armed conflict was assessed regionally. Results: A total of 698 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Libya during a period of three months. The number of cases varied from one region to another and was affected by the fighting. The largest number of cases was reported in the southern part of the country, which has been severely affected by the conflict in comparison to the eastern and western parts of the country. Conclusion: This study describes the epidemiological pattern of COVID-19 in Libya and how it has been affected by the ongoing armed conflict. This conflict seems to have hindered access to populations and thereby masked the true dimensions of the pandemic. Hence, efforts should be combined to combat these consequences.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 can have even more dire consequences in countries with ongoing armed conflict. Libya, the second largest African country, has been involved in a major conflict since 2011. This study analyzed the epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya, examined the impact of the armed conflict in Libya on the spread of the pandemic, and proposes strategies for dealing with the pandemic during this conflict.Methods: We collected the available information on all COVID-19 cases in the different regions of Libya, covering the period from March 25 to May 25, 2020. The cumulative number of cases and the daily new cases are presented in a way to illustrate the patterns and trends of COVID-19 and the effect of the ongoing armed conflict was assessed regionally.Results: A total of 698 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Libya during a period of three months. The number of cases varied from one region to another and was affected by the fighting. The largest number of cases was reported in the southern part of the country, which has been severely affected by the conflict in comparison to the eastern and western parts of the country.Conclusion: This study describes the epidemiological pattern of COVID-19 in Libya and how it has been affected by the ongoing armed conflict. This conflict seems to have hindered access to populations and thereby masked the true dimensions of the pandemic. Hence, efforts should be combined to combat these consequences.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Since being declared a pandemic in March 2020, COVID-19 has brought difficult situations for citizens of nations worldwide. The effects, however, may be more severe for vulnerable communities such as immigrants, who are already in desperate situations and under deteriorating conditions. There are still very limited data on how the pandemic is impacting immigrant communities. Immigrant camps are fostering an environment that poses a great threat to the health of their inhabitants, especially at the time of a pandemic. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate healthcare, and difficulty containing contagious diseases are well documented in African immigration detention centers [1]. Furthermore, they are unlikely to take priority in a moment in which governments are mobilizing all resources to care for their citizens. Their situation is even more complicated if they are hosted in courtiers plugged by war, as in North Africa[2,3].
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that affectedaffects all aspects of life. Studies on understanding the geographical and epidemiological characteristics become particularly important in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Such studies are lacking in Northern African countries, particularly in Libya, which is considered being, the second largest country in Africa, with the longest coast facing Europe. The objectives of this study are to; determine the epidemiological parameters and spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 in this large country and outline the needed strategies to contain the spread and the consequences of the pandemic. Methods: This comprehensive study included all the confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its emergence in Libya, from early April 2020 until July 31th31. The epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 were analyzed, and the spatial dynamic trends were explored. A region Region-based counts of weekly reported cases were used to characterize and quantify the spatial dynamics of COVID-19.Results: A total of 3695 of confirmed cases of OVID-19 were collected,; 2515 (68.1%) were males , and 1180 (31.9%) were females with a male-to-female (M:F) ratio of 2.1:1. Aged between 2 -and 78 years old. Older age patients infected with COVID-19 are at higher severity and mortality. A broad geographic variability and spatiotemporal spread variation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya was observed. Indicating. This indicates a more significant increase ofin COVID-19 from the middle of July, particularly in the West and Southern regions, although it was consistently observed in the Meddle and Southern regions.Conclusion: Evaluating the epidemiological data and the spatiotemporal dynamic trends of COVID-19 at early stages are particularly important in understanding the pandemic spread. These parameters are essential in designing effective prevention and control programs aimed at reducing the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, particularly in countries with limited resources.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that affected all aspects of life. Studies on understanding the geographical and epidemiological characteristics become particularly important in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Such studies are lacking in Northern African countries particularly in Libya, which considered being, the second largest country in Africa with the longest coast facing Europe. The objectives of this study are to; determine the epidemiological parameters and spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 in this large country and outline the needed strategies to contain the spread and the consequences of the pandemic. Methods: This comprehensive study included all the confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its emergence in Libya, from early April 2020 until August 31th. The epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 were analyzed and the spatial dynamic trends were explored. A region -based counts of weekly reported cases were used to characterize and quantify the spatial dynamics of COVID-19. Results: A total 3695 of confirmed cases of OVID-19 were collected, 2515(68.1%) were males and 1180(31.9%) female with a male-to-female(M:F) ratio 2.1:1. Aged between 2 -78 years old. Older age patients infected with COVID-19 are at higher severity and mortality. A broad geographic variability and Spatiotemporal spread variation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya was observed. Indicating a higher significant increase of COVID-19 from the middle of July particularly in the West and Southern regions although it was consistently observed in Meddle and Southern regions. Conclusion: Evaluating the epidemiological data and the spatiotemporal dynamic trends of COVID-19 at early stages are particularly important in understanding the pandemic spread. These parameters are essential in designing effective prevention and control programs aimed at reducing the impact of COVID- 19 pandemic particularly in countries with limited resources.