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The World Health Organization (WHO) remains concerned over the escalation in hostilities in the areas of and around Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Hans Kluge, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, said in a statement on Thursday.

“Since late September, the violence has displaced tens of thousands of civilians, injured hundreds and killed many. Our deepest thoughts are with every family, every member of the community affected.

The hostilities are already contributing to a dramatic acceleration in COVID-19 transmission. Continued cycles of violence and subsequent population displacement will exacerbate the precariousness of the health situation.

The conflict is causing a direct disruption to health care, further burdening health systems that are already stretched by the pandemic. This comes at a time when COVID-19 case numbers across the WHO European Region continue to surge.

WHO calls for no time lost nor efforts unspent in protecting lives and livelihoods from a public health threat unprecedented in our lifetimes,” the statement read.