The COVID-19 situation in Jordan is taking a dangerous turn, not in terms of the number of positive cases, but the number of deaths, said the communicable disease expert, Dirar Balawi, on Thursday.

He criticised arguments made regarding the Case Fatality Rate, which is the ratio between confirmed deaths and confirmed positive cases, saying what is important is the ratio between deaths and number of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“A large number of [patients admitted to the ICU] die, and this is a dangerous matter that requires urgent intervention,” he added.

Balawi said the government should consider employing a medical team specialized in respiratory and infectious diseases to care for patients in ICUs.