Lebanon Registers 68 New Coronavirus Deaths, 3,497 Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered Thursday registered 68 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours in addition to 3,497 cases, as the online platform for vaccine registration was launched.

The cases were detected among 16,362 PCR tests, a Health Ministry report said. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 22.8 percent.

Among the newly recorded cases, only 13 were detected among travelers arriving in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry report, with the total number of cases since the virus was detected in the country in late February rising to 293,157.

The Health Ministry said 2,411 patients were in hospital for COVID-19, with 938 in ICUs and 329 on ventilators.

Lebanon witnessed a surge in daily virus deaths last week which has continued into this week, with a then-new record of 76 deaths registered Wednesday. The overall number of coronavirus-related deaths since February stands at 2,621.

As cases remained high and hospitals still struggled to face the virus, authorities extended a total lockdown until Feb. 8 in a bid to curb the spread of the virus and relieve the health care sector.

The online platform to register for vaccination went live Thursday morning. Taking the vaccine is not obligatory but public officials encourage people to register to help the country achieve herd immunity by year end, hitting the target to vaccinate 80 percent of the population.