Deir Hassan camp in Idlib province, northwestern Syria, is one of the many camps to which hundreds of thousands of displaced families fled, to escape the military offensive by Syrian government forces with their Russian allies between December 2019 and early March 2020. Deir Hassan camp hosts more than 164,000 people in settlements scattered over the hills and, as is the case across northwest Syria, it lacks basic services. It is now also threatened by the potential spread of COVID-19.

The United States government’s decision to block asylum proceedings and close the US-Mexico border, with the justification to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, threatens the health and safety of thousands of people seeking international protection in the United States who are then forced to return to Mexico, says MSF.

MSF is stepping up our response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic by starting medical, logistical and strategic support activities in Spain. We will be leveraging our experience and expertise in managing epidemics in fragile contexts, in working in the country.

51 groups warn pharmaceutical corporation Gilead against profiteering off the pandemic.

COVID-19 is a contagious new coronavirus and much remains to be understood. Unlike influenza, there is no known pre-immunity, no vaccine, no specific treatment and everyone is presumed to be susceptible.   
 
MSF is very concerned how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect people in countries with already fragile health systems. On any given day, our staff treats tens of thousands of patients for a variety of illnesses in our medical programmes around the world. In many areas where we work, there are few medical organisations in a position to respond to an overload of patients.

How are you supposed to wash your hands regularly if you have no running water or soap? How can you implement ‘social distancing’ if you live in a slum or a refugee camp? How are you supposed to stop crossing borders if you are fleeing from war? How are those with pre-existing health conditions going to take extra precautions if they already can’t afford or access the treatment they need? Everyone is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the impact may be felt by some more than others.

One week ago, MSF started to support the COVID-19 pandemic response at Codogno hospital, where the first Italian case was detected, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Half of the 100 beds in this hospital are currently dedicated to patients receiving care for COVID-19. The MSF team, made up of doctors, nurses and hygiene experts, works every day with hospital staff, including healthcare workers and cleaning teams, to support them. One of the key aims of our team is to protect hospital staff from being infected with the virus.

Faced with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the French health system is strengthening its capacity to prevent and treat cases. This week, in consultation with France's health authorities, MSF is setting up activities to help detect and manage COVID-19 cases among the most vulnerable populations in Paris and the surrounding region.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already spread to more than 100 countries around the world. These include countries whose health systems are fragile and where MSF teams have a long-standing presence, as well as regions such as Europe, where the capacities are more robust but where the epidemic is particularly virulent. Travel restrictions generated by the outbreak also directly affect MSF's work around the world. What questions does MSF face in this context? Dr Clair Mills, MSF’s medical director, explains the challenges.

The overcrowded and horrific living conditions in the camps - or hotspots - on the Greek islands provide the perfect storm for a COVID-19 outbreak, warned MSF. Given the lack of adequate sanitation services and the severely limited medical care, the risk of the virus spreading amongst the inhabitants of the camps in Greece is extremely high once they have been exposed. And as the first case has been confirmed on Lesbos, a Greek citizen, the evacuation of the camps has become more urgent than ever.

Teams from MSF in Italy are providing support to Italian health authorities in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. MSF staff are based in four hospitals in the northern Italian province of Lodi, part of the Lombardy region, the epicentre of the outbreak in the country.