Lebanon COVID-19 Death Toll Hits 900

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon's coronavirus death toll since the virus was first detected in February hit 900 Sunday, as the country confirmed six more deaths and 1,193 new cases.

Of the new cases, only seven were found among travelers arriving from abroad, bringing the total number of registered cases in the country to 116,435.

The Health Ministry reported that a total of 8,796 PCR tests had been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 15 percent.

Cases have continued to surge as authorities implemented a total lockdown on Nov. 14 in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus in the country. Lockdown is expected to end Nov. 30.

Despite the two-week closure of restaurants, cafes and shops, many residents have defied lockdown measures over the last week, a stark contrast to the first round of lockdown measures back in March when streets were empty. The Internal Security Forces Sunday reported that it had issued over 23,000 fines since the lockdown was implemented on Nov. 14.

Authorities have stated that if numbers – over 1,000 everyday – do not decline at the end of the lockdown, an extension is possible. A number of hospitals in the country have increased coronavirus patient intake capacity. However, there often isn’t enough medical staff to accommodate these expansions as many are infected themselves while others have left the country in search of better opportunities abroad – a direct result of the country's economic crisis.