COVID-19: The Silent Killer in War-Torn Countries
Six months after the global eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, staying at home, social distancing, and wearing face masks have become the new normal. To some, this pandemic served as a time to adapt to working from home, to others, it presented an opportunity for self-development. However, for those who live in overcrowded refugee camps, those who rely on their daily wage for survival, and those for whom social distancing seems like an unattainable myth, prevention from the coronavirus represents an impossible luxury.
In poor regions and conflict zones, the coronavirus is the ultimate torment. The destruction of hospitals in bombings and gunfire, scarcity of healthcare workers, increased underfunding of the health sector, and uncontrolled spread of fatal illnesses and diseases illustrate the daily reality faced by war-torn communities. With the insufficient infrastructure in place for food delivery, lacking governmental assistance during periods of lockdown, little capacity for testing, and little to no knowledge or awareness of the measures of prevention, let alone the access to face masks and hand sanitizers, what is to stop the virus from spreading irrepressibly?
Yemen, facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis since March 2015, recently experienced a lethal wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The 2,041 confirmed cases and 589 deaths as of October 4th represent only a fraction of the reality, neglecting the country’s lack of testing capacity and equipment. Additionally, the government reports the reasoning behind the surge in human losses as increases in patients’ “breathing problems.” Due to the lack of capacity, Yemeni hospitals placed many patients in the corridors and even refused service to some, leading to 90% of Yemeni patients’ deaths at home. As 80% of the Yemeni population relies on external support, these soaring numbers also cause troubles to international aid agencies, which are being forced to abandon their operations in the country. Such unprecedented circumstances pose an existential threat to Yemen. Reporters even mention the possibility of Yemen’s “deletion” from world maps to depict the cruciality of the matter.
Similarly, in Syria, as of October 4th, there were only 4,329 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 204 deaths, a presumable underestimate of the severity of the matter. Although a lockdown did occur, its maintenance seemed impossible given the devastating consequences of the nine-year-long war and people’s urgency to provide sustenance for their families. Many citizens have expressed their fear of dying of starvation before even catching the virus, should a prolonged obligatory lockdown occur. To a population that lives through the consequences of a devastating war, vile economic sanctions, and ultimate seclusion from the world’s sympathy, prevention from a deadly virus does not seem like a priority. This exemplifies the “domino effect”, which Kate White, head of emergencies for Doctors Without Borders mentioned.
In today’s global race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, many companies have started developing seemingly effective vaccines. Some have even reached “phase 3” of the vaccine development process, currently implementing tests on humans. However, given the concentration of these testing labs in developed countries, developing countries will likely receive the vaccine much later than its production date. The risk of the monopolization of the COVID-19 vaccine by wealthy countries has always existed. This exact scenario played out in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, where the United States, Canada, and Australia secured large orders of the vaccine ahead of distribution time, leaving poor, let alone war-torn countries behind. Despite efforts to prevent this from occurring, such as the COVAX collaboration – which aims to ensure equal access of poor countries to vaccination, the priority seems to be on monetary profit rather than humanitarian aid. Poor and war-torn countries will keep battling this pandemic for a couple of months, if not years after a safe vaccine has been developed, approved, and distributed among industrialized and developing nations.
Despite ethical considerations, the monopolization of vaccines can have catastrophic effects as studies reveal that the presumed unequal distribution of vaccines could cause twice as many deaths compared to an equal distribution. In a recent op-ed in the Financial Times, Bill and Melinda Gates expressed that “Businesses and governments must understand that the future is not a zero-sum contest in which winners win only when someone else loses.” In line with these words, future efforts to eliminate the Coronavirus must include the alliance of vaccine manufacturers in both rich and poor countries as well as the establishment of technology transfer arrangements between them. World leaders must fully understand the extent of the issue at hand and acknowledge the possible repercussions of their self-interested policies. Most importantly, this global health crisis should not be politicized by any means.
Among destruction, displacement, disease and famine, this pandemic has intensified the miseries of war-torn populations that have been suffering for years. Although the coronavirus impacts everyone on the face of this planet, populations that have recently endured conflict pay the highest price. As the world awaits on the elimination of this disease, developed countries must redefine their priorities to help the conflict zones, which act as reservoirs of the virus. Including and prioritizing war-torn countries in the worldwide process of immunization not only constitutes a moral obligation, but also a strategic move to accelerate the possibility of the contamination, and ultimately, the elimination of the virus.