Lebanon Registers Record 41 COVID-19 Deaths, 5,196 Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon Thursday registered 41 coronavirus deaths, a new record for the second day in a row, and 5,196 cases as the country began an 11-day nationwide lockdown to curb the dangerous spread of the virus.

There were 12 cases detected among travelers arriving in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry report, with the total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country in late February rising to 237,132. The total number of deaths now stands at 1,781.

A total of 24,764 tests have been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 17.6 percent.

The Health Ministry said 1,801 patients were in hospital for COVID-19, with 655 in ICUs and 197 on mechanical ventilation.

The country hunkered down for a complete lockdown as of Thursday until Jan. 25, a period declared as a “state of emergency” by authorities.

An all-day curfew went into effect, with only a handful of establishments allowed to open, including supermarkets that can only operate for deliveries.

Dr. Firass Abiad, head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, fired a warning via Twitter: "In the last 24 hours alone, four Covid positive patients presented in cardiac arrest to our emergency room. One of them was a 19 years old patient. This is serious. The lockdown should not fail. The lockdown cannot fail."

Among the newly reported cases was caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan and his son, who were hospitalized late Wednesday after testing positive for the virus.