Somalia confirmed the first case of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on 16 March 2020. Since then, 21 cases (19 males and two females) have been confirmed as of 11 April 2020, including cases with no travel history thereby signifying human-tohuman transmission. Humanitarian agencies are concerned that further spread of the virus could have a devastating impact in Somalia given the lack of capacity to prevent, detect and respond to such a pandemic. Less than 20 per cent of health facilities have the required equipment and supplies to manage epidemics.
A full-scale outbreak would also disrupt the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond to existing humanitarian needs, thus compounding the situation.
Before COVID-19, an estimated 30 per cent of the population (5.2 million people) required some form of humanitarian assistance; this number will sharply increase if the virus spreads.
Millions of people are vulnerable Within the Somali population, the risk of illness and death is significant due to pre-existing illnesses and malnutrition. Internally displaced people (IDPs), who are estimated at 2.6 million, and the urban poor face the greatest risk given crowded living conditions, insufficient hygiene facilities and lack of access to medical care.
The other vulnerable groups are the elderly, who representabout 2.7 per cent of the population. The pandemic could also hurt communities that are already food insecure or live in areas with high malnutrition rates, as well as the 35,000 refugees and asylum seekers mostly living in Somaliland and Puntland, as well as returnees.
