Yemen recorded five new cases, including two deaths of coronavirus all in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, according to the country’s Health Minister.

Some medical staff left hospitals after the coronavirus infection was announced, while some private hospitals were also closed, the health official said.

Officials believe staff are leaving because of a lack of protective equipment to deal with the risk of Coronavirus in hospitals.

Coronavirus pandemic was officially spread to Yemen on 10 April 2020 when its first confirmed case in Hadhramaut. Organizations called the news a “devastating blow” and a “nightmare scenario” given the country's already dire humanitarian situation.

The country is seen to be extremely vulnerable to the outbreak, given the dire humanitarian situation due to the Yemeni Civil War, exacerbated by the ongoing famine, cholera outbreaks, and military blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies. The Yemeni healthcare system has been “all but decimated” by the war, with many healthcare facilities destroyed by airstrikes and shelling and a lack of healthcare workers. (ILKHA)