Ailing Syria Awaits Delivery of Coronavirus Vaccine from Key Players

A child sells bread in Raqqa, northeastern Syria (AFP)
A child sells bread in Raqqa, northeastern Syria (AFP)
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Ailing Syria Awaits Delivery of Coronavirus Vaccine from Key Players

A child sells bread in Raqqa, northeastern Syria (AFP)
A child sells bread in Raqqa, northeastern Syria (AFP)

Contact lines staying unchanged in Syria for about a year is comforting for some and worrisome for others. For the first time in almost a decade, the spheres of influence have not shifted among the three major players in the war-torn country.

Casting a dark shadow, the coronavirus pandemic has spread across Syrian lands uninhibited by makeshift borders. Suffering under the pandemic unites Syrians living in all three areas of influence, knowing that political affiliations mean nothing for a virus that targets everyone.

In late 2019, the initial wave of the deadly coronavirus coincided with US-Turkish-Russian understandings for the east Euphrates region in Syria and US President Donald Trump signing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which ushered in a host of economic sanctions against Damascus.

By the time it was March 2020, the virus continued to spread across the world, Russia and Turkey signed an agreement for northwest Syria and the Caesar Act had been in effect for three months.

Since then, and for almost a year, the three spheres of influence maintained their shape without major shifts taking place. This is the longest they have remained constant since 2011.

After the Russian intervention in September 2015, the Syrian regime regained large swathes of territory. Moscow then closed agreements with each of Washington and Ankara, splitting Syria’s 185,000 square kilometers of land into three zones.

Syrian regime forces, backed by Russia and Iran, would go on to control one sphere of influence. The Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led International Coalition, locked its control over a quarter of Syrian territory.

Meanwhile, Turkish-backed armed factions overran large territories in north and northwest Syria.

Naturally, Damascus managed to secure access to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, after visiting Moscow, confirmed that Syria is looking forward to receiving its supply of the vaccine.

Priority will most likely be given to army forces and medical cadres.

However, it goes without saying that the vaccine could, like Russian army forces, take months to arrive.

Initially, Damascus adopted a policy of denial towards how affected it was by the coronavirus, implementing extremely shy measures to stem the spread of the virus.

Infections jumped staggeringly in August, especially in Damascus and neighboring provinces. Lack of social distancing measures paired with a health sector devastated by years of war helped the virus spread faster in regime-held areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported nearly 100,000 infections and 6,500 deaths in regime-controlled areas. It accused authorities there of engaging in misinformation and seeking to conceal true figures regarding the toll of the pandemic.

Statistics released by the Health Ministry in Damascus contradicted widely with data collected from hospitals and cemeteries.

The ministry recognized only 9,603 infections, 554 deaths and 4,548 recoveries. It is worth noting that most infections and deaths took place in As Suwayda, Latakia, Tartus, Aleppo and Damascus.

The “Najha” cemetery, located in Damascus’ south, was forced to set up an entire section just to bury the remains of coronavirus victims.

Russia restrained Syrian regime ambitions for more control in Idlib and the east Euphrates region, with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu visiting Damascus in March to make sure that it commits to the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib and avoids all-out battles during the pandemic.

As for SDF-controlled areas, where ISIS was dealt a final defeat, the UK-based war monitor documented 34,000 infections, 13,000 recoveries, and 1,200 deaths with most cases being diagnosed in Kobane, Hasakah, Qamishli and Al-Malikiyah.

The US-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which is the administrative wing of the SDF, acknowledged 7,581 infections, 241 deaths and 1,087 recoveries.

Tragic and catastrophic best describe the situation in SDF-run territory, where theft of medical equipment became a popular phenomenon.

The SDF has managed to convince Washington, its ally, to make some exceptions with its economic sanctions to lower the impact they have on the health sector.

In the east Euphrates region, Turkish ambitions of expansion were not setback by the spread of the virus. Fierce clashes and bombardment continued to strike fear in the hearts of locals already struggling to survive the pandemic.



What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
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What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)

Flash floods in Texas killed at least 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing, including girls attending a summer camp. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

Massive rain hit at just the wrong time, in a flood-prone place

The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep.

The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours.

After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.

Death toll is expected to rise and the number of missing is uncertain

In Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday morning. Fatalities in nearby counties brought the total number of deaths to 94 as of Monday afternoon.

Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief.

Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday had said that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said during a Monday news conference he couldn't give an estimate of the number of people still missing, only saying “it is a lot.”

Officials face scrutiny over flash flood warnings

Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “nobody saw this coming.” Officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.

And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change. Though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur, meteorologists say that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and allow severe storms to dump even more rain.

Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.

Rice said Monday that he did not immediately know if there had been any communication between law enforcement and the summer camps between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday. But Rice said various factors, including spotty cell service in some of the more isolated areas of Kerr County and cell towers that might have gone out of service during the weather, could have hindered communication.

Rice said officials want to finish the search and rescue and then review possible issues with cell towers, radios and emergency alerts.

Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.

Kerr county officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.

Monumental clearing and rebuilding effort

The flash floods have erased campgrounds and torn homes from their foundations.

"It’s going to be a long time before we’re ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it," Kelly said Saturday after surveying the destruction from a helicopter.

Other massive flooding events have driven residents and business owners to give up, including in areas struck last year by Hurricane Helene.

President Donald Trump said he would likely visit the flood zone on Friday.

AP photographers have captured the scale of the destruction, and one of Texas' largest rescue and recovery efforts.