8 November 2022 – In Yemen, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catastrophic health crisis – compounding one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, and further straining a long-exhausted health care system that is simultaneously struggling to prepare for and respond to a continuous chain of other disease outbreaks.
Although the current number of reported COVID-19 cases in Yemen is 11,926, with 2,155 confirmed deaths to date, the actual numbers are underreported and undoubtedly far higher. A prevailing lack of community awareness about COVID-19 and the necessity and safety of vaccines has strongly contributed to the spread of the virus and its toll on people’s lives.
In partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany, WHO has focused on procuring and distributing new COVID-19 vaccines and supplies, and scaling up the capacities of Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) to test, diagnose and vaccinate for COVID-19. This partnership is further enabling the MoPHP to better manage COVID-19 caseloads, and undertake health promotion activities in governments and districts controlled by the Internally Recognized Government (IRG). About 1,000 COVID-19 patients in hospital isolation units have also been aided with life-saving medical oxygen supplies.