[News] Tunisia is going through difficult times because of Corona, and international aid gives it a dose of hope

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TUNIS (Reuters) - At the Charles Nicole Hospital in the capital, Tunis, the emergency department was overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients who were sharing oxygen in rooms and even in the corridors, while the country witnessed a significant increase in Corona cases with the influx of foreign aid representing a dose of hope to control the outbreak of the pandemic.

After successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year, Tunisia is going through difficult times, with intensive care departments in all the country's hospitals overwhelmed, and doctors being overwhelmed by the rapid outbreak of cases and a significant increase in the number of deaths.

"Doctors are exhausted because the number of patients has exceeded the capacity of the hospital," Ahmed Al-Ghoul, an emergency nurse, told Reuters. "Even the mortuary is full and we can no longer find a place for them."

He added that at least six deaths are recorded daily in this hospital, and the number sometimes reaches ten.

On Tuesday, Tunisia recorded 157 deaths, which is the highest daily death toll since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, which brings the total deaths due to the Corona virus to about 17,000, and infections to about 500,000 cases.

Officials said the health care system had collapsed and the situation was catastrophic due to the inability of intensive care and emergency departments to accommodate the increasing numbers of patients, the acute shortage of oxygen and the exhaustion of doctors and nurses.

"We are suffering, we desperately need oxygen, the demand has exceeded our stocks," said Dr. Reem Hamed, head of the emergency department at Charles Nicole.

A cry of panic over the inability of an already weak health system for years prompted President Kais Saied to launch a distress call to the international community.

 

The World Health Organization says that Tunisia records the highest death toll in Africa and the Arab world.

*dose of hope*

Tunisia received urgent Arab aid, including a field hospital sent by Qatar and opened on Tuesday as part of a medical aid package that arrived last week.

Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey this week sent planes loaded with urgent medical aid and vaccines.

Saudi Arabia also pledged to send one million doses of vaccine and other medical aid, and Morocco said it would send two full resuscitation units with a capacity of 100 beds, 100 respirators and oxygen generators.

France said it intends to send medical aid and about one million doses of vaccine to Tunisia, which is facing a violent wave that coincides with the worst financial crisis in the history of the country, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.

The United States also pledged to send half a million doses of vaccine.

The latest assistance amounts to more than 3.3 million vaccine doses that have been donated to Tunisia, whose vaccination campaign is still far below that of most countries.

So far, only about 750,000 people have been fully vaccinated out of a total po[CENSORED]tion of 11.6 million.

"My mother is in critical condition, oxygen is not available, people die every day because of this," a woman named Leila said as she screamed outside Yasminat Hospital in Ben Arous.

Civil society organizations also began mobilizing their efforts to help by collecting donations and purchasing medical equipment.

In the Zahra suburb of the capital, Tunis, volunteers set up a field hospital equipped with all the equipment to provide medical services. In the city of Sousse, businessmen made financial donations and purchased equipment for hospitals.

To motivate Tunisians to donate, the famous tennis player Anas Jaber offered her racket for sale at an auction with the aim of contributing to efforts to purchase medical equipment and distribute it to hospitals in Tunisia.