Lebanon Coronavirus Cases Drop as Inoculations Surge

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon recorded 81 coronavirus cases and four deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Sunday, as the country administered more than 46,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in a weekend inoculation drive.

The new cases, the lowest daily figure in nearly 11 months, brought the total number of coronavirus infections in Lebanon since the virus was first detected in the country in February 2020 to 542,604 along with a total of 7,798 deaths. Out of Sunday’s cases, 16 were detected among travelers arriving in Lebanon.

Residents aged over 55 and those aged over 16 with disabilities were invited to receive a Pfizer vaccine jab Saturday as part of the Health Ministry’s vaccine "marathon" at 26 hospitals across Lebanon.

A huge turnout was reported in many areas, with the Health Ministry's report detailing that 19,089 first-stage jabs had been administered Saturday, bringing the total number of people who have received their first jab to 631,453, or 13.2 percent of the eligible population.

The age limit was lowered to 53 Sunday, resulting in more than 27,000 jabs being administered.