Lebanon Records 1,148 COVID-19 Cases, 5 Deaths in Last 24 Hrs.

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanon reported 1,148 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, alongside five more deaths, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

The new numbers add to a total of 567,044 cases and 7,926 deaths in Lebanon since the virus was first discovered in February 2020. Out of the new cases, 32 were from incoming travelers to Lebanon.

A total of 25,407 tests were administered in the last 24 hours, resulting in an average two-week positivity rate of 6.3 percent.

The report also detailed that 315 people were in hospital with the virus, including 105 patients in intensive care and 13 on ventilators.

Coronavirus vaccination numbers were low yesterday due to all public offices and services being closed to mark the national day of mourning for the Aug. 4, 2020, port blast. A total of 2,939 first-doses were handed out, as well as 6,390 second dose vaccines, resulting in a total of 972,220 individuals or 20.4 percent of the eligible population now fully vaccinated in Lebanon since the rollout began six months ago.

Lebanon has been undergoing a new wave of the virus since the discovery of the Delta variant at the start of July. Daily life has resumed for much of the population with many people having disregarded social distancing or virus safety measures, which has allowed the new highly contagious variant to take hold. Furthermore, the government has yet to tighten or impose new regulations to attempt to derail the spread of the disease.