Lebanon Registers 63 COVID-19 Deaths, 3,136 New Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 63 new coronavirus deaths and 3,136 more cases Thursday, as authorities said the education sector would be among the prioritized sector to be vaccinated against the virus.

The cases were detected among 20,706 tests, with 18 cases recorded among travelers from abroad. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 20.6 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country in late February 2020 rose to 331,152, according to the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities stands at 3,866.

The Health Ministry said 2,268 patients were in hospital for COVID-19, with 926 in ICUs and 294 on ventilators.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan Thursday stressed on the importance of taking the utmost precautions against the virus during this critical period, adding that achieving herd immunity through vaccination is the country’s only hope.

Lebanon will launch its COVID-19 inoculation campaign Sunday, a day after the first Pfizer jabs are set to arrive in the country.

Mass vaccinations for health workers and people aged 75 and over will start Monday at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

Hasan during a joint news conference with caretaker Education Minister Tarek Majzoub said that the education sector will be prioritized after the elderly, front-line health care workers and those with chronic diseases.

The caretaker health minister said that international organizations have provided 80,000 rapid antigen tests for the education sector.

Addressing doctors in the country, Hasan said they have to play a key role in tracking and following up cases in schools and universities in their districts, especially asymptomatic ones.

Hasan noted that schools will no longer be allowed to close down certain classes due to the spread of coronavirus, but that the decision should come in cooperation and by the recommendation of the Health and Education ministries.

“The virus situation will not be assessed by school principals or local authorities anymore, as it was during the beginning of the pandemic,” Hasan said.

Majzoub reiterated his previous call for the early vaccination of students and teachers.

“We aim at completing the academic year and administering [state] exams this year, so it is vital to vaccinate students, especially in light of the British [coronavirus] mutation,” Majzoub said.

He pointed out that it is not feasible to follow international recommendations that advise to vaccinate the education sector in the third phase, as Lebanese students and teachers suffer from internet and electricity issues that have impeded the online learning process.

“Online education is not enough,” he said, adding that it is imperative students return to the classroom.