Lebanon’s Covid-19: Cases Drop, 3-Day Lockdown Starts 

By Staff, Agencies 

Lebanese Health Ministry announced that the country has registered 29 more coronavirus deaths and 1,001 new cases on Friday as a 3-days lock down is to start Saturday.

The cases were detected among 15,630 tests, with only four cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The average positivity rate throughout the last two weeks stood at 11 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country in February last year rose to 526,578 according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 7,278.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 1,290 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 586 in the ICU and 172 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry also reported that 4,737 first-stage jabs and 5,649 second-round vaccinations were administered in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of inoculations since the Feb. 14 onset to 299,559 first-stage and 167,461 second-stage jabs so far.

Lebanon will go under total lockdown from Saturday until Tuesday morning during Orthodox Easter, during which only vital sectors will remain open and places of worship will have a maximum intake capacity of 30 percent.