Lebanon Records 597 Coronavirus Cases, 3 Deaths in Last 24 Hrs.
By Staff, Agencies
Lebanon recorded a further 597 new coronavirus cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Monday.
The new figures bring the total number of cases to 563,124 and 7,912 deaths in Lebanon since the virus was first detected in February 2020. Out of the new cases, 52 were from travelers arriving into Lebanon.
A total of 16,229 tests were conducted over the last 24 hours, bringing the two-week average positivity rate to 5.9.
The report also detailed 302 people were in hospital with the virus, with 114 patients in intensive care and 23 on ventilators.
The Health Ministry report did not mention any vaccinations administered on Sunday.
The World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean region warned in a statement Monday that the coronavirus is spreading at "a faster and more violent pace throughout the region, with dire consequences for public health."
According to the WHO, the delta variant is present in 132 countries around the world, with 15 in the Eastern Mediterranean region; which constitutes North Africa and the Middle East.
The comments came during a press briefing in which the organization urged all countries to speed up vaccine distribution and increase supplies, citing it as essential to deterring the spread of the delta variant which has taken hold throughout the region.
But the WHO maintained that the most important way to control the spread of the virus, as well as being vaccinated, was to adhere to "proven preventive measures" such as "physical distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding crowded places, and postponing all social gatherings."
Lebanon has been witnessing a surge in coronavirus infections since the discovery of the Delta variant at the start of July; which was imported from passengers travelling from countries in the region such as Iraq and Turkey. The variant has flourished amid minimal virus restrictions and an influx of passengers arriving into Lebanon for summer holidays.
The WHO also noted that there remains "a worrying disparity in the distribution of vaccines" around the world. "It is worth noting that as of August 1, 132 million doses of vaccines had been administered throughout the region, but only 44 million people [5.9%] of the region's population have fully received the vaccine."
