Middle East & North Africa Region COVID-19 Situation Report No. 10 30 September 2020 ©UNICEF/Syria/2020/Aldroubi Situation in Numbers Highlights As of 30 September, 2.1 million total cases, 267,037 of which are active, COVID-19-19-19COVID-19 cases: and 55,610 deaths in total were reported in the MENA region. cases:Over 2,1 million 812,448total cases. cases. Across the region, collection and use of risk communication and community 223,460267,037 active cases engagement (RCCE) evidence and community feedback are being stepped up. To date, nearly 276 million people have been reached, more than 41 million engaged, and nearly 870,000 have provided feedback. Death toll: 19,69955,610 deaths.total deaths2,693 UNICEF reached 170,315 healthcare workers with personal protective deaths during reporting equipment (PPEs), and 12,025 people have been trained in infection period prevention control (IPC). In addition, more than 15 million people received US$125 million water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support supplies. funding gap for UNICEF regional response UNICEF supported continuity of health & nutrition services for 6,534,789 women/children and trained 8,448 health workers in managing COVID-19 cases. Moreover, 230,504 children received severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment while 2,256,159 caregivers received messages on breastfeeding. While there has been recovery of routine immunization services in some countries, data are still limited. UNICEF has been supporting vaccine-derived polio and measles outbreaks response beyond COVID-19 in Yemen and Sudan. The start of the new school year took a bumpy road: Two thirds of schools that opened in August, closed again partially or fully. In the UAE however, education continued fully online, while the school year is in full swing in most of the Gulf countries and Tunisia. To date, UNICEF reached nearly 5 million children as part of continuous education and 13,126 schools have received support with safe school protocols. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) reached 349,167 children, parents and primary caregivers while 13,101 individuals were served with alternative care arrangements. An additional 1.2 million children and adults got access to protection services, including via against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) channels. To date, more than 12 million households have benefited from new or additional social assistance measures, as part of UNICEF’s support to governments, while 65,386 households have received a humanitarian cash grant. Summary of Programme Response Targets Funding Status (US$) RCCE: People reached through messaging 107% WASH supplies 138% Access to essential health services 88% Distance/home based learning 68% Mental Health & Psychosocial support 79% Additional social assistance measure 58% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 125% 1 Situation Overview As of 30 September, the MENA region has registered more than 2.1 million total cases, 267,037 of which are active, including 120,887 new ones reported in last week of the month, and 55,610 total deaths since the start of the epidemic. The situation among countries continues to vary greatly – a group of countries recorded a decline in new cases while others experienced a sharp increase due to low individual adherence to protective measures (mask wearing and social distancing) during the summer. The number of weekly deaths remained stable after a sharp increase in the first two weeks of the month. Iraq (25 per cent of MENA new cases), Iran (21 per cent) and Morocco (13 per cent) continue to be the most affected countries. Nearly half of the weekly deaths in the region were reported in Iran (48 per cent) while the country is experiencing a third wave of new cases. With more than 24,000 new cases a week, the country recorded its highest weekly level. Tehran, Qom and East Azerbaijan status are critical and in a worse situation compared to the first and second waves. Iraq recorded last week its lowest fatality rate (435 deaths) of the past three months; however, the situation remains worrisome, as new infections remained at about 30,000 a week for the fourth consecutive week. Several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, the State of Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan have doubled their weekly numbers of new infections over the last two weeks and have faced uncontrolled virus transmission in the community. Morocco recorded more than 200 deaths a week in the last five weeks. Other countries, including Syria, Egypt, Algeria and Yemen recorded a continuous decline of new cases. In a period of one month, the transmission pattern for COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia has shifted from community transmission to clusters of cases and sporadic cases– the first country in the region to do so. Djibouti, Qatar and Sudan have reported a limited number of new cases and deaths over the past month. Weekly active cases (total – deaths – recovered) in the MENA region – 9 March to 27 September 140000 3500 120000 3000 100000 2500 80000 2000 60000 1500 40000 1000 20000 500 0 0 cases deaths MENA region Weekly number ofCOVID-19 Weeklynumber of associated Cases Deaths Socio-Economic Impact and Humanitarian Needs The latest ILO Monitor on labour market developments in the Arab region revised its estimates on labour income loss to be higher than previously predicted/estimated. The estimated number of working-hours lost in the second and third quarters of 2020 is 17 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019 and a 3.7 per cent increase relative to the previous estimate for the second quarter. This translates into 10 million full-time jobs lost in quarter 2 and 8 million full-time jobs lost in quarter 3, amounting to a total of US$45 billion (3.4 per cent of GDP) in labour income loss in the first three quarters of 2020.1 This increased inactivity – which disproportionally impacts women and girls – has further exacerbated violence at home, with growing gender-based violence accounts. The latest quarterly update from UNICEF in the region on the impact of COVID-19 on children indicated increased violence against women and girls in 50 per cent of countries, based on information from implementing partners, external reports and UNICEF studies.2 With regards to RCCE, compliance with prevention measures is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, as individuals and communities have not yet shifted to practicing short-term behavioural measures as part of daily life and accepting the ‘new normal’. This is being exacerbated by increasing public uncertainty, misunderstanding and eroding 1 ILO Monitor, September 2020. 2 Tracking of Situation of Children, 3rd Quarter, UNICEF. 2 confidence in containment strategies. An integrated multi-sectoral RCCE approach aligned with broader public health measures and policies is needed to enhance community resilience and organization for public commitment to sustain prevention practices. Communities need to be engaged more directly with decision-making and action to enable trust, ownership and joint accountability. The collection and use of improved localized, routine evidence and innovation as well as mobilisation of sub-national stakeholders, community leaders and local influencers is central to this. Moreover, countries in the region continue to seek ways to ensure continuity of health and nutrition services according to the context and needs of the community. National health information systems have shown some recovery in routine immunization services in some countries; however, information gaps remain due to reporting delays possibly driven by measures taken against COVID-19. The number of children treated for SAM is lower than the same number this time last year, due to various factors. These are mainly a reduced demand for nutrition treatment services due to the fear of contagion and discontinuation of mobile services, leading to a lower reporting rate by partners from 92 per cent to 61 per cent compared to the same time last year. Countries are starting to experience a double burden of dealing with multiple outbreaks; Sudan and Yemen have recently reported cases of circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (cVDPV) and measles. This is likely to complicate things further, as over 15 million children could not receive their scheduled polio and measles vaccines with postponement of campaigns in Syria, Lebanon, Djibouti, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan. During the reporting period, the regional office, with support from Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), finalized the monitoring of COVID-19 WASH responses taken by 14 countries until the end of August, with a focus on those countries where UNICEF has active WASH programs. According to preliminary findings, this monitoring indicates needs remain high, specifically for WASH supplies (especially for hand hygiene, domestic water), as well as IPC training in health center facilities, schools, other public institutions and camp settings, with some limited evidence of monitoring of the effectiveness of IPC measures. The start of the new school year took a bumpy road: schools in 2 of the 3 countries that opened in August, closed again partially or fully, while the school year is in full swing in most of the Gulf countries and Tunisia. In the UAE, education continued fully online. In Jordan and Iran, schools that opened physically, closed again after two weeks of operations for most classes and went online. Sudan and Libya decided to postpone the opening date to end of November and December, respectively.While governments with the support of partners, managed to bring in key supplies such as hand sanitizers, masks (where required) and in some cases disinfection, not all schools are covered and many continue to lack adequate WASH facilities. In addition, there is concern with replenishing basic supplies during the year as this requires additional funding. A key challenge remains addressing anxiety of communities (parents and teachers) of going back to school physically, while the numbers of COVID-19 cases keep increasing.