Lebanon Registers 50 COVID-19 Deaths, 3,393 New Cases in 24 Hrs.

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 50 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,393 more cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The cases were detected among 22,706 tests, with only 21 cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The average positivity rate throughout the last two weeks stood at 17 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country on Feb. 21, 2020, rose to 468,400, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 4,667.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 2,194 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 963 in the ICU and 270 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry also reported that 6,828 first-stage jabs and 3,796 second-round vaccinations were administered in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of inoculations since the Feb. 14 onset to 146,451 first-stage and 81,045 second-stage jabs so far.

Coronavirus expert and director of Rafik Hariri University Hospital Dr. Firass Abiad commended Wednesday the prevalence of vaccines in Lebanon, but reiterated that caution and wariness are still required to effectively curb the spread of COVID-19.

In a tweet, Abiad noted: “Yesterday, three different vaccines were rolled out in Lebanon. The numbers of those vaccinated will now rise rapidly. But we need to make the right conclusions and not celebrate early. Otherwise, we will repeat old mistakes.”