10 May 2021, Damascus – In responding to the humanitarian needs of affected populations and to enhance the quality of health care in Syria, the World Health Organization delivered 40 equipped ambulances to the Ministry of Health yesterday. Since the onset of the crisis, two thirds of the ambulances in Syria have been destroyed, which has impeded...

DAMASCUS, 22 April 2021 – 203 000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India arrived in Damascus today through the COVAX Facility. This first batch of the vaccines will be allocated to frontline health workers, including health workers in northeast Syria. Simultaneously, a separate batch of 53 800 doses of Astra Zeneca...

18 April 2021 - In Syria, approximately one in 10 people is expected to be living with a mild to moderate mental health condition, while 1 in 30 is likely to suffer from a more severe condition. Prolonged exposure to conflict increased the prevalence of mental health conditions. COVID-19 has added more strain to the mental wellbeing of families...

9 April 2021 - Amidst a decade-long conflict, economic crisis and political upheaval, WHO continues to support strengthening public health programmes and implementation of immunization activities, national polio vaccination campaigns and surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis. In the middle of March 2021, a national polio immunization campaign...

Reflection of Michael Atieh, WHO Syrian Arab Republic country office staff member 8 April 2021 - Children go running around playing with each other daily without a worry in mind. They play in the sand, dirt, mud and wherever else their imaginative young minds take them. However, consequences arise when improper sanitation is part of a child’s...

WHO Representative Dr Akjemal Magtymova7 April 2021 – The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated us all. However, the harshest impact has been on people already experiencing inequities because of poverty, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation, migrant status, disability, and discrimination. In conflict-hit Syria, people are disproportionately vulnerable...

29 March 2021 – On 25 March 2021, the COVAX Facility informed that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) to Syria, including northwest Syria, will be delayed in March and April, and that the closest delivery date may be in May 2021. Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced COVID-19 vaccine doses to Syria as well as to...

24 March 2021 – A few months ago, I visited Damascus, Homs and Hama, witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of the decade-long conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis, now worsened by COVID-19. While there, I met frontline workers who continue to brave dangerous working conditions to save lives. I spoke to parents desperate for a better...

1. Vaccination rollout in Syria Syria received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines (256,800 doses of AstraZeneca SII COVIDSHILD) on 21 April 2021, which were delivered as part of COVAX mechanism. 203 000 doses were allocated for Syrian governorates, including northeast Syria and 53 800 were allocated through Gaziantep to target populations in...

16 March 2021 – Exactly 10 years after the conflict in Syria began, new challenges have emerged, perpetuating the suffering of Syrian people already exhausted by the ongoing conflict, violence, political fragility, and the burden of unmet socioeconomic needs. COVID-19 and the regional economic crisis have brought further devastation to...