Lebanon Records 61 More COVID-19 Deaths, 3,560 New Cases

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon registered 61 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,560 more cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Thursday, as authorities were set to consider tight restrictions for Easter and Fitr holidays.

The cases were detected among 21,181 tests, with only 34 cases found among travelers arriving at Beirut International Airport. The average positivity rate for the last two weeks stood at 17.4 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country in February 2020 rose to 452,281, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 5,964.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 2,364 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 982 in the ICU and 283 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry said 3,353 people received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 5,159 their second. The total number of people who have received one dose is 119,280, and the total number of second dose vaccines administered since the Feb.14 inoculation stands at 59,820 – about 1 percent of the population.

Meanwhile, President Michel Aoun called for a meeting of the Higher Defense Council at Baabda Palace Friday to extend the state of mobilization which ends at the end of March and study a suggestion to impose a three-day shut down for Easter holiday next month and Eid al-Fitr holiday in May.

The state of mobilization – first declared in March last year after COVID-19 hit Lebanon – is set to be extended by six months and new measures would cut down the number of curfew hours and allow retail shops and restaurants to open for an extra two hours from next week.