The UN is anticipating 16 million Covid-19 cases in Yemen on top of what is already the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the global body’s aid chief in the country said on Monday.
Lise Grande outlined the “most likely scenario” in which 55 per cent of Yemen’s war-ravaged population became infected.
The pandemic has struck millions and shut down economies around the world.
Aid teams in Yemen are rushing to prepare the 300,000 hospital beds needed to meet the expected cases, including 200,000 in intensive care units, in a nation where many clinics have been destroyed by war, Ms Grande said.
“If you’re faced with that kind of staggering problem, one of your reactions is to put up your hands and say there’s nothing you can do,” she said in an online briefing hosted by Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
Yemen recorded its first case of the coronavirus in the eastern province of Hadramawt this month.
It was unclear whether curfews will slow the spread of an outbreak that has infected more than 3 million people and killed at least 215,000 around the world.
Ms Grande said she was working on the assumption that lockdowns would not prevent the pathogen’s spread, given Yemen’s malnourished population and a crumbling healthcare system after years of war, instability and under-investment.
The UN said about 80 per cent of Yemenis relied on handouts.
The immune systems of millions have been compromised by hunger and malnutrition, and diseases such as cholera, diphtheria and dengue fever.
Ms Grande said modellers claimed three factors – acute levels of vulnerability, some of the lowest levels of immunity across the population, and a very fragile health system – would challenge the fight against coronavirus in Yemen.
"Unless we’re able to suppress transmission of Covid it could spread faster more widely and with deadlier consequences than in most other countries,” she said.
Ms Grande, the UN’s resident and humanitarian co-ordinator in Yemen, said five teams were travelling Yemen to test the ailing for Covid-19 and track down those who may have been in contact with carriers.
The medical workers included Yemeni and foreign staff.
Some were temporarily taken off their work battling Yemen's cholera outbreak, which had infected an estimated two million by January.
Health workers were explaining to Yemenis, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes, the importance of washing their hands with soap and other tips that could stop transmission of the coronavirus.
But aid experts said that Yemen was ripe for a catastrophic outbreak of the disease, as many people have no access to soap or water, and because social distancing is impossible in refugee camps.
Stephen Morrison, a health expert at the think tank, told the same briefing that Yemen was “on the edge of a resource cliff” after sea and air blockades, and the lack of testing kits, ventilators and protective gear.
Save the Children said only half of Yemen’s hospitals were fully operational and the Arab world’s poorest nation has only about 700 intensive-care beds, including 60 for children, and about 500 ventilators.
A major coronavirus outbreak would also come after the US, a major donor, last month began cutting funds to the country’s north because of obstruction by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control the region.
Over the weekend, the Aden-based Southern Transitional Council declared self-rule for the south, breaking a power-sharing deal with the government and hurting the chances of a ceasefire that was announced this month.
The Houthis drove President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi’s government from Sanaa towards the end of 2014, prompting military intervention in 2015 by the Arab Coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Teaching in coronavirus times
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
THREE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
