Lebanon Records 2,051 New Coronavirus Cases, 11 More Deaths

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 11 new coronavirus-related deaths and 2,051 cases Friday, as head of the parliamentary Health Committee MP Assem Araji warned that the health sector would not be able to keep up with the increasing number of cases.

“When the number of daily cases increases, more coronavirus beds are utilized in hospitals and the health sector in Lebanon cannot keep up with this increase,” Araji said.

Among the newly recorded cases, 18 were from travelers arriving in Lebanon, bringing the total number of cases since February 21 to 154,944. The total number of deaths now stands at 1,259.

The Health Ministry said 990 patients were in hospital, with 409 in the ICU and 143 on mechanical ventilation.

A total of 14,209 PCR tests have been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 12.8 percent.

Araji also expected a surge in cases in the next two months and warned that the spread will get worse during the holidays if people did not adhere to preventive measures.

“Cases are more likely to increase until February because viruses spread faster during this time and the cold weather hinders people from following protective measures such as social distancing and sitting in open spaces,” Araji said.