Somalia Somalia: COVID-19 Impact Update No. 13 (As of 25 October 2020)

Highlights

• Over 500 new COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths have been confirmed since September, taking the total to 3,941 cases and 104 deaths as at 25 October.

• At least 237 sites, hosting over 580,000 internally displaced people across the country, are overcrowded and at high-risk for COVID-19 transmission, according to Shelter Cluster partners.

• All airports in Somalia are now open for local and international passenger flights with the exception of Abudwak, which is closed for maintenance works.

• The U$256 million humanitarian component of the Somalia COVID-19 CPRP launched in April is only 30 per cent funded, negatively impacting effective cluster responses.

Situation overview

COVID-19 CASES

Over 3,941 confirmed cases since March, including 3,185 recoveries and 104 related deaths, as of 25 October. Positivity rate: 10% Case fatality rate: 2.6% Source (MoH, WHO)

HEALTH SERVICES

Primary healthcare services are overwhelmed due to increase in IDPs. Demand for new health centres, referral capacities, medical supplies and equipment remains high.

IDP SITES

Overcrowding in IDP sites risks COVID-19 transmissions and other disease outbreaks such as cholera and acute watery diarrhoea.

EMERGENCY EDUCATION

Education partners have reached 49% (444,900) of 900K children with Education in Emergency (EiE), including 51,771 (24,547 girls) reached in September.

CHALLENGES

Despite scaling up of public health measures, shortage of testing kits, delayed detection and overall fragility of the health system are hampering effective response.

PROTECTION CONCERNS

The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 has partly led to increased human rights violations, gender-based violence, cyclical displacement, food insecurity and erosion of coping mechanisms.