Yemen’s National Emergency Committee for Coronavirus on Monday declared the interim capital of Aden an “infested city” due to the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases coupled with several other disease outbreaks following recent floods there. 

As the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen, Aden is the site of 35 confirmed cases, or nearly two-thirds of the 58 documented infections across the country. The actual number of coronavirus cases is widely assumed to be much higher due in large part to the shortage of medical personnel equipped with the tools to address the crisis.

The committee appealed to humanitarian aid organizations, donors and the international community to provide urgently-needed support to Aden’s health sector. At least three hospitals in the interim capital have been shuttered, citing a lack of personal protection equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves and gowns, as well as a shortage of staff trained to deal with the virus. Doctors and nurses throughout the city have stopped showing up for shifts, citing the same lack of preparedness.

In Houthi-controlled Sana’a, the authorities have publicly confirmed two coronavirus cases. The first, announced May 5, was a Somali migrant. A Houthi-controlled lab issued results that same day revealing that four individuals had tested positive for the virus. 

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Edited by Ahlam Mohsen and Casey Coombs