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Sudan has increased its health budget by 200%, but Altom said aid was still needed: $120 million to fight the new virus and $150 million to cover medicines until June.

Almost all of Sudan’s 140 coronavirus cases, including 13 deaths, have been in the capital Khartoum, now under a three-week lockdown.

But some experts estimate that may represent only 2% of those infected, as patients tend to show up only when really sick and limited resources hamper widespread testing.

A relatively young population might keep the burden lower than in some other countries, however.

The health ministry plans to prepare 1,433 beds for COVID-19 patients, according to a U.N. report.

Health ministry sources said the country only has about 300-400 ventilators shared among all patients, although doctors say some 200 more are on the way.

“On a normal day in Sudan you can’t find a ventilator. It’s going to be a disaster. Those who have immunity will live, and those who don’t will have to pray,” said Abdelhameed Elbushra, a doctor at the main treatment facility in the Jabra neighborhood of Khartoum.

TRANSITION

The pandemic comes as the civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok works to undo Bashir’s legacy, including galloping inflation, corruption, and insurgencies.

He has struggled to end lines for bread and fuel amid a spiraling economy, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently projected would contract by 7.2% this year.

“The government is in a position (where it has) to make very difficult decisions when they don’t have that sense of security,” said Nada Abdelmagid, assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.