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HEALTH-VIRUS-LEBANON
Lebanon extends total lockdown by two weeks
BEIRUT, Jan 21, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Lebanon has prolonged a total lockdown
by two weeks to stem an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases and protect
its collapsing health sector.
The strict restrictions include a round-the-clock curfew and limit
grocery shopping to home deliveries.
“The total lockdown is extended to February 8, 5 am,” the Higher Defence
Council, Lebanon’s top security body, said in a statement.
The complete lockdown had initially been due to run from January 14 to
January 25.
But daily infection rates have remained exceptionally high and Covid-19
death tolls are spiking.
The health ministry said late Wednesday that a record 64 people had died
from the disease in the previous 24 hours.
Firass Abiad, the head of Lebanon’s main state hospital treating
coronavirus, backed the new extension.
Lebanon has reached the stage of “an uncontrolled epidemic with limited
additional health system capacity available”, he said.
Authorities have urged hospitals to increase the number of beds for
coronavirus cases.
Intensive care units are near full, with occupancy rates of 91 percent
nationwide and more than 97 percent in Beirut on Wednesday, the World Health
Organisation said.
Lebanon has recorded 264,647 coronavirus cases and 2,084 deaths since
February 2020 in total.
Cases skyrocketed after families gathered during the end-of-year
holidays and authorities allowed revellers to gather in bars until 3 am,
despite warnings from health professionals.
Lebanon is expecting its first vaccines next month.
The World Bank said Thursday it was providing $34 million to fund
vaccines for more than two million people in Lebanon.
“This is the first World Bank-financed operation to fund the procurement
of Covid-19 vaccines,” the Washington-based institution said in a statement.
Those vaccines would arrive by early February.
The head of the parliamentary health committee, Assem Araji, said
Lebanon was looking to secure six million vaccines in total.
Lebanon has said it signed a deal with Pfizer to import more than two
million vaccines starting in February, in addition to 2.7 million under the
Covax programme set up to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines
worldwide.
The authorities and the private sector have also been working towards
securing a further two million doses from other companies.
BSS/AFP/IJ/2005 hrs