ICU Beds in Tunisia Nearing Full Capacity

People wait to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a mobile testing lab in Tunis, Tunisia October 7, 2020. Reuters
People wait to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a mobile testing lab in Tunis, Tunisia October 7, 2020. Reuters
TT

ICU Beds in Tunisia Nearing Full Capacity

People wait to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a mobile testing lab in Tunis, Tunisia October 7, 2020. Reuters
People wait to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a mobile testing lab in Tunis, Tunisia October 7, 2020. Reuters

Tunisian Health Minister Fawzi al-Mahdi warned that intensive care unit (ICU) beds have reached 80 percent capacity as the coronavirus pandemic continues its rapid spread.

Tunisia has just 181 ICU beds, of which 145 are now being used by patients, Mahdi told reporters.

Director of the Pasteur Institute Hashemi Al-Wazir has revealed 30 deaths and 800 hospitalized cases.

A total of 180 out of the 800 patients have low oxygen levels, while 60-70 patients are in the ICU and require artificial ventilation.

Regarding the age category of fatalities, Hashemi said that 50 percent of them were above 70.

Director of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases Nissaf Ben Alaya stressed that the situation in Tunisia is delicate and the country is still in a dangerous phase.

Speaking about the potential repercussions of the measures taken by the government, Ben Alaya noted that the consequences can’t be evaluated for now.



Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
TT

Palestinian Authority at Risk of Collapse, Norway Says

Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)
Foreign Minister of Norway Espen Barth Eide attends the annual Kultaranta Talks -debate session on foreign and security policy at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland June 13, 2024. (Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander via Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority could collapse in the coming months, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on Monday, citing a lack of funding, continuing violence and the fact that half a million Palestinians are not allowed to work in Israel.

"The situation is extremely dire. The Palestinian Authority, with whom we work closely, are warning us that they might be collapsing this summer," Barth Eide told Reuters.

"If it collapses, you could end up having another Gaza, which would be terrible for everybody, including the people of Israel," he added.

Norway chairs the international donor group to the Palestinians and is a backer of the PA.