Lebanon Confirms 469 New Coronavirus Cases, Total Fatalities at 171

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon confirmed 469 new coronavirus cases and four deaths Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases registered in the country to 17,777.

Of the new cases, 466 were detected among the local population and three among travelers from abroad. There have been a total of 171 deaths due to coronavirus complications since the illness was first detected on February 21.

Cases were detected among 10,713 PCR tests administered in the last 24 hours, bringing the positivity rate to 5.3%.

Lebanon relaxed its lockdown measures Friday following mounting pressure from individuals and businesses struggling as a result of the worst economic crisis the country has seen since the Civil War.

For months, Lebanon has been debating whether to prioritize public health in the knowledge that the health sector would not be able to cope with a full-scale outbreak, or negate this in favor of buttressing the economy at a time when it is already on its knees.

“Winter is coming. Covid numbers are too high. Foreign aid will not flow in forever,” Head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital Dr. Firass Abiad warned in a series of tweets earlier this week.

“A strategy with clear tradeoffs, based on science and collective before personal interests, endorsed by all, is needed. Then all have to comply, or else. Otherwise, it will be a harsh winter,” he said.