Coronavirus: UN detects first confirmed cases in Syrian refugee camp in Jordan

Cramped and unhygienic conditions raise fears Covid-19 could spread rapidly through the camps

Azraq refugee camp in Jordan in 2015, located in the desert 110 kilometers to the east of Amman and not far from the Syrian border (Getty images)

The U.N. agency for refugees said Tuesday that it has confirmed two coronavirus cases in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

They are the first infections to be detected among Syrians living in refugee camps in Jordan, which are home to more than 100,000 Syrians displaced by that country's civil war.

The UNHCR says the two patients have been transferred to quarantine facilities and their neighbours have been isolated as more testing is carried out.

Azraq is home to some 36,000 Syrian refugees, while the larger Zaatari camp houses some 76,000. Jordan hosts a total of more than 650,000 Syrian refugees.

"This is the first confirmed case of coronavirus in refugee camps in Jordan," the UNHCR said in a statement. 

"It is a reminder that everyone has been affected by this epidemic, and solutions must be addressed through international solidarity and cooperation."