1st virus case recorded in Lebanon refugee camp

BEIRUT – A Palestinian woman from Syria has become the first refugee living in a camp in Lebanon to test positive for the coronavirus, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Wednesday.

The agency, UNRWA, said the woman lives in one of the camps in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region. It said all necessary measures have been taken and the patient was transferred to the government-run Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, adding that the agency will cover the entire cost of her treatment.

Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees and other Syrians who are residents. It is also host to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, most of them living in squalid camps with no access to public services, with limited employment opportunities and no rights to ownership.

The tiny country has recorded 21 deaths from among 677 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. They include one Palestinian who lives outside a camp, and three Syrian residents who have tested positive. Wednesday’s announcement was the first involving a refugee living inside a camp.

Lack of testing has stoked fears among millions of displaced people around the world packed into refugee camps and informal settlements.

Most people who become infected experience mild to moderate symptoms. But the virus can cause severe illness and lead to death, particularly among older people and those with underlying health problems. It is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear healthy.

UNRWA said it will take a team from the Rafik Hariri hospital to the Wavel camp in the Bekaa’s Baalbek region, to carry out tests.

“The agency is doing everything necessary to provide the required assistance to the patient’s family to allow them to isolate themselves with all the arrangements required and to secure the necessary needs,” the statement said.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan told reporters that two teams from the ministry headed on Wednesday morning to the Bekaa Valley, one to the Baalbek General Hospital and another to Wavel camp where they will take test samples.

The Baalbek region is one of the least infected districts in Lebanon, with less than five cases, according to government statistics.