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Photos from inside refugee camps show how they could be decimated by coronavirus

Photos from inside refugee camps show how they could be decimated by coronavirus

Refugees tend to live in overcrowded places with limited to no healthcare which means they are especially vulnerable to infectious disease.

In Greece, the Moria camp in the island of Lesbos has a capacity to accommodate around 3,000 people, but currently it is home to around 20,000 people.

The camp is filled with scabies, lice, and respiratory problems.

"It's far from the new life in Europe they hoped for — and it's the perfect breeding ground for the coronavirus," according to Vice.

Water and soap are limited.

A Doctors without Borders medical coordinator told Vice, in some parts of the camp only one water tap is available for 1,300 people. Additionally, soap is not available.

There has been one confirmed COVID-19 case on Lesbos.

According to The Guardian, fears among those in the refugee camp escalated after Lesbos confirmed it's first COVID-19 case. There was anger over more people arriving at the camp. Several NGO's had to reduce or stop their services due to fears of violence, and doctors and journalists were attacked.

So far Greece has reported 418 cases and 6 deaths.

Worldometers has good, live data on coronavirus cases, updated daily.

Violence in Moria camp suspended NGO services.

Médecins San Frontières suspended their services due to the violence but were "overwhelmed" with patients after they reopened, The Guardian reported.

Rights groups have called for the camps on Lesbos to be evacuated.

The group has called for migrants to be evacuated from the crowded camps to avoid the spread of the virus, Reuters reported. Doctors without Borders also recommended the camps be evacuated, according to Vice.

While the Greek government suspended "visits and activities of non-state organizations in refugee camps" last week, MSF told Reuters that mostly impacts the work they do inside the camp.

Many other refugee camps also don't have the tools to handle an outbreak.

Save the Children also reported that there is no system for screening or testing for the new coronavirus in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh. According to Save the Children, Cox Bazar has the largest refugee resettlement population in the world. While there are still no confirmed cases, it would be difficult for people living there to self-isolate which could allow the virus to rapidly spread if the virus makes its way there.