Lebanon Registers 49 Coronavirus Deaths, 3,100 Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 49 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,100 more cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Friday, as authorities imposed full lockdowns for Easter and Fitr holidays.

The cases were detected among 200,003 tests, with only 12 cases found among travelers arriving at Rafik Hariri International Airport. The average positivity rate for the last two weeks stood at 17.6 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country in February 2020 rose to 455,381, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 6,013.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 2,319 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 978 in the ICU and 287 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry said 3,096 people received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 4,936 their second. The total number of people who have received one dose is 122,376, and the total number of second dose vaccines administered since the Feb.14 inoculation stands at 64,756.

Earlier the Higher Defense Council issued a decision that imposes a three-day lockdown for the Easter holiday next month and another lockdown during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in May. Everyday curfew hours were also extended to 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. The state of general mobilization that Lebanon has been in for about a year was also extended until September 30.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned of a third wave of the coronavirus that could be worse than the previous waves as the country continues to battle the pandemic along with a financial crisis that has crippled the health sector.

Head of the parliamentary Health Committee MP Assem Araji Friday said that it was expected that coronavirus infections would rise in the coming weeks, which would overwhelm the already overloaded health sector that was running out of capacity.

He urged everyone to abide by prevention measures so that “our holidays don’t turn to sorrow.”