The number of Covid-19 deaths among medical personnel in government-held parts of Syria has shot up in recent weeks amid a rise in infections, several sources told AFP.

The capital Damascus has been especially hard hit, with doctors warning of a deteriorating situation in overcrowded hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients. The Syndicate of Doctors in Damascus on July 25 started to publish lists of doctors it said had died while “confronting the coronavirus pandemic”.

Its latest figures say at least 31 Syrian doctors had died since the start of the virus outbreak in the country.