Lebanon Registers 50 COVID-19 Deaths, 3,518 New Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 50 more coronavirus-related deaths and 3,518 new cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

The cases were detected among 21,886 tests, with only 26 cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The positivity rate throughout the last two weeks stood at 17.6 percent.

The total number of cases since coronavirus was first detected in Lebanon on Feb. 21, 2020, now stands at 408,909, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities has risen to 5,230.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 2,361 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 938 in the ICU and 303 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry also reported that 3,232 first-stage jabs and 3,385 second-round vaccinations had been administered over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of inoculations since the Feb. 14 onset to 88,835 first-stage and 8,495 second-stage vaccinations so far.

Lebanon is set to fully ease coronavirus restrictions on March 22, opening coffee shops, schools and restaurants, as the last reopening stage goes into practice. The country last week saw a number of businesses go back into full swing, but with the rising number of cases and steadily depreciating currency, it is hard to predict the next measures that will be decided upon.