Lebanon Registers 42 More COVID-19 Deaths, 3,851 New Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 42 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,851 more cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, as the country prepared to receive doses of AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines for first time.

The cases were detected among 23,462 tests, with only 25 cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The positivity rate average throughout the last two weeks stood at 17.3 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country on Feb. 21, 2020, rose to 444,865, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 5,850.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 2,436 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 990 in the ICU and 295 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry said 4,822 people Monday received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 6,494 their second. The total number of people who have received one dose is 111,556, and the total number of second dose vaccines administered since the Feb.14 inoculation stands at 49,190.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan, meanwhile, said the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine, containing 33,600 jabs, would arrive in Beirut Wednesday. A privately arranged first shipment of Sputnik V vaccines is expected Thursday.

Hasan said the new vaccines would allow more age groups – those between 55 and 65 – to be inoculated starting April 1.