Concerns have mounted among Palestinian refugees sheltered in displacement camps set up in northern Syria as cases of Delta variant have been increasingly reported in the area.

Medics have sounded alarm bells over the mismanagement of the health crisis by the concerned authorities and humanitarian institutions, calling for increasing vaccine doses allotted to the region. So far, no more than 7% have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.

A few months earlier, the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) warned of an unabated outbreak of COVID-19 in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, where limited access to running water, pharmacies and medical facilities means displacement camps are more susceptible to the spread of the highly infectious virus.

Displacement camps set up in northern Syria are especially vulnerable as most hospitals and medical facilities have been bombed, rendering them out of order.

Palestinian refugees sheltered in displacement camps in northern Syria have been enduring a tragic situation. Most of them have been crammed in poorly-equipped tents and denied their rights to vital services. For many displaced Palestinian refugees, the perils of coronavirus add to the torment already experienced throughout the conflict.

According to data by the Commission of Palestinians of Syria for Relief and Development, as many as 1,488 Palestinian families have been sheltered in the northern Syrian regions of Idlib, Efrin, and Aleppo’s suburbs. The largest number of families are taking refuge in Idlib.