Lebanon Closes In on 400k Coronavirus Cases, Eases Restrictions

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 33 more coronavirus-related deaths and 2,377 new cases, the Health Ministry said Sunday, as it prepared to ease restrictions in place to stem the spread of the virus.

The cases were detected among 16,476 tests, with only 14 cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The positivity rate throughout the last week stood at 17.5 percent.

The total number of cases since coronavirus was first detected in Lebanon on Feb. 21, 2020, now stands at 395,588, according to the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities has risen to 5,046.

The data provided by the Health Ministry also shows that 2,231 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 911 in the ICU and 290 on ventilators.

Lebanon Monday plans to ease lockdown measures further, with barbershops, hotels, and libraries set to open, each within regulated hours.

People are still obliged to get permission through an online platform to go to some shops, like supermarkets, with an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in force.

Last week, Lebanon’s top COVID-19 expert and director of Rafik Hariri University Hospital warned of the possibility of a fourth wave of the virus, despite the start, albeit a sluggish one, to the vaccine rollout.

Lebanon began a national inoculation campaign on Feb.14, but the target of vaccinating 80 percent of the 6 million population to achieve herd immunity seems unlikely to be reached this year.

The health Ministry said Sunday 1,381 jabs where administered, bringing the total to 77,494.