Saudi Arabia, Qatar worst hit by coronavirus among Arab states

Qatari police stand outside a hotel in Doha as a medical worker walks alongside people wearing protective masks over fears of coronavirus, on 12 March 2020 [AFP/Getty Images]

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have recorded the most coronavirus cases so far among the Arab states, according to Worldometers website.

There have been 39,048 cases in Saudi Arabia, with 246 deaths, while Qatar has had 22,520 cases and 14 deaths. The UAE is third on the list of Arab states, with 18,198 cases and 198 deaths; Egypt is fourth, with 9,400 cases and 525 deaths.

Yemen has recorded 51 cases and eight deaths. The Yemeni government has called on the international community to help it contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“According to medical reports, Yemenis have died from the coronavirus due to the ailing healthcare system and the severe shortage of medical equipment,” said the Ministry of Human Rights. The harsh living conditions of many people in Yemen makes preventative measures very difficult to uphold, it added, warning of an impending “disaster” if nothing is done to help the country, which is in the grip of a major war.

Arabi21 pointed out that a week ago the World Health Organisation warned that 16 million people in Yemen, 50 per cent of the population, are vulnerable to the pandemic due to the poor healthcare system in the country.

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