Lebanon Reports Record COVID-19 Cases for 2nd Straight Day

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered Wednesday 4,166 new coronavirus cases, a new record of infections for the second day in a row, as well as 21 more deaths on the eve of a 25-day lockdown.

Among the newly recorded cases, only nine were among incoming travelers, according to the Health Ministry report, bringing the total number of cases since the virus was first detected in late February to 199,925. The total number of deaths now stands at 1,537.

A total of a record 30,255 PCR tests have been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 14.3 percent.

The Health Ministry said 1,273 were in hospital for COVID-19, with 503 in ICUs and 148 on ventilators.

The previous record of cases, registered on Tuesday, stood at 3,620 cases.

Authorities and health experts warn of a catastrophic situation as the health care sector cannot handle the current cases in addition to a looming disaster set to materialize in coming days as a result of the numerous gatherings and events on New Year's Eve.

The country will go into a lockdown from Thursday to Feb. 1 in an attempt to contain the spread. A vaccination campaign is set to start by mid-February.