Record Lebanon Coronavirus Cases for 2nd Consecutive Day

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 1,850 new cases of coronavirus Wednesday, the second consecutive day a new record was set for the number of cases within a 24-hour period.

Twelve new deaths due to coronavirus complications were recorded by the Health Ministry, bringing the total death toll to 602 since the virus was first detected on Feb. 21. A total of 245 patients are currently in critical condition.

This comes after Lebanon’s coronavirus cases witnessed a surge Tuesday, reaching 1,809 cases.

The head of Parliament’s Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs Committee, MP Assem Araji, warned Wednesday that December and January could be the most difficult months of the coronavirus pandemic, which could overwhelm the country’s fragile health sector, local media reported.

Public health consultant Sara Chang cautioned in a tweet Wednesday that while Lebanon’s coronavirus data currently shows that the number of daily cases appears to be plateauing, an increase in administered PCR tests would reveal that coronavirus cases remain on the rise.

“If Lebanon were testing more, we would see an increase in cases,” Chang said.

Of Wednesday's new cases, only 11 were detected among incoming travelers. A total of 14,410 PCR tests have been administered in the past 24 hours. The test positivity rate now stands at 11.8 percent.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced Monday that this week Lebanon would receive 150,000 Vacci-Grippe and 300,000 Tetravac coronavirus vaccines.