UNITED NATIONS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and its humanitarian partners aim to protect the health system in war-ridden Yemen while delivering aid to professionals and the public, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, 58 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Yemen, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"The UN and our humanitarian partners in Yemen are responding by focusing on case management, risk communications, community engagement and the protection of the wider public health system," he told a virtual press briefing.
More than 125 metric tons of supplies have been delivered while 4,836 metric tons are in the pipeline, Dujarric said. These include 1,000 intensive care unit beds, 417 ventilators, 52,400 tests and 755,000 pieces of personal protective equipment.
More supplies are urgently needed to scale up the response. None of this work can continue without urgent funding, he added.
Of the 41 key UN programs, 31 are expected to reduce or close down in the coming weeks unless immediate lifeline funding is made available, the spokesman said. Enditem
