Red Cross: Somalia’s COVID-19 caseload “could be much higher” than official count
Institutions across Somalia are bracing for a surge in COVID-19 infections as the Horn of Africa country’s caseload continues to soar. Official tallies put the number of known infections at over 500, but the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) fears “the true caseload could be much higher, and more people will likely get sick in the coming weeks.”
Somalia’s first known case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed six weeks ago. Since then, most infections have clustered in and around the capital Mogadishu. Health officials explain that a number of factors make Somali populations particularly vulnerable to the disease.
“We still see high rates of malnutrition,” points out Ana Maria Guzman, the ICRC’s health coordinator in Somalia. Healthcare infrastructure is often strained or lacking. Hundreds of thousands in the country are internally displaced by war or climate shocks.
“Many of them live in overcrowded displacement camps or shoulder-to-shoulder in overcrowded settlements around urban areas,” the ICRC explains. “Physical distancing is impossible, and many do not have soap or water to wash their hands regularly. This creates fertile conditions for the virus to spread.”
Prisons are another institution where experts fear the virus could spread quickly. The Red Cross says its been distributing soap and sanitary supplies to detention centers across the country.
“Following the outbreak, we have been shown how to wash our hands,” says Ali Ahmed, an inmate at Mogadishu Central Prison who took part in an ICRC hygiene training. “We pray to God to prevent us from the disease, so it doesn’t come here.”
