WHO: Tunisia Over Worst of Covid Wave

Patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receive treatment at the emergency department of Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui
Patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receive treatment at the emergency department of Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui
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WHO: Tunisia Over Worst of Covid Wave

Patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receive treatment at the emergency department of Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui
Patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receive treatment at the emergency department of Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui

Tunisia -- which has seen the world's worst Covid-19 death toll -- may be over the peak of the latest wave but the government must still speed up inoculations, the WHO said on Monday.

"The epidemiological data are going in the right direction," World Health Organization representative in Tunisia Yves Souteyrand told a press conference.

"We have the feeling that the peak of the epidemic may have passed."

But with vaccines in short supply, overwhelmed hospitals, shortages of oxygen and the highly contagious Delta variant rampaging through the country's 12 million population mean the risk of a health disaster remains, the WHO warned.

The Delta variant was responsible for "more than 90 percent" of cases, and the impact of family gatherings during a recent religious holiday was hard to evaluate but could set back progress made, Souteyrand said.

"The challenge is to speed up the vaccination campaign," he said.

The country had "in 10 days received around seven million vaccine doses and will receive perhaps two or three million more" soon, he said.

The WHO has also provided 400 oxygen concentrators and four oxygen generators to Tunisia, where the government has been in crisis after President Kais Saied suspended parliament and took direct power.

Since the shock move late last month, Saied has established a coronavirus crisis unit, supervised by a high-level military official, to help manage the country's outbreak.

Souteyrand said that "relations between the WHO and the health ministry have not been affected by the political crisis".

The health ministry on Monday announced the start of a mobile vaccination campaign in several regions.

Authorities have also announced a vaccination drive across the country on Sunday for Tunisians aged over 40.

Over the past seven days, the North African country has registered the worst official Covid-19 mortality rate in the world, with 10.64 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, an AFP tally based on officially reported data shows.

On the other hand, Tunisia shares its coronavirus data more transparently than many other countries, the WHO said.



Israel's Military Says 3 Drones Fired from Yemen

FILED - 06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
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Israel's Military Says 3 Drones Fired from Yemen

FILED - 06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Three drones were launched from Yemen toward Israel on Thursday evening, the military said, although there were no injuries according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
The latest drone attack came hours after the Israeli military said the Houthis, a Yemeni militant group backed by Iran, have targeted Israel with more than 40 missiles and around 320 drones since October 2023. The military said the vast majority of the surface-to-surface missiles were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, and that the air force intercepted 100 of the drones, reported The Associated Press.
Two drones have exploded inside Israel, in one case killing a man in Tel Aviv and wounding 10 others. Last month, a Houthi missile struck a playground in Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people, and caused damage at an empty school.
The Houthis have also been attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
In response, Israeli and US-led forces have carried out airstrikes in Yemen's capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, killing dozens. The US has bombed what it says are weapons systems, military bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed militants.
While the damage from Houthi fire in Israel is minimal compared with heavy damage from missiles and drones from Gaza and Lebanon, the persistent launches threaten Israel’s economy, keeping many foreign airlines away and preventing the country from restarting its hard-hit tourism industry.