Lebanon imposes new coronavirus lockdown amid spike in new cases

Lebanon on January 7 began a 25-day nationwide lockdown as coronavirus infections hit a record and patients overwhelmed the health care sector. According to Associated Press, the tiny Mediterranean country on Wednesday broke its single-day record of new cases, with nearly 4,166 infections reported in 24 hours. Now, under the new restrictions, which is the third since the first case was reported in late February in 2020, a daily 6pm to 5pm curfew takes effect that will last until February 1.  

While speaking to the Local LBC TV Station, outgoing Health Minister Hamad Hassan said, “The best way to limit the spread is to stay at home”. 

The surge in the number of cases comes after a holiday season in which tens of thousands of visitors flew to the country in a bid to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. On Wednesday, the country reported 21 new deaths related to COVID-19, taking the total number to deaths to 1,500. First responders in Lebanon have said that they have been transporting nearly 100 patients a day to hospitals that are now reporting near-full occupancy in beds and intensive care units. 

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Lebanon’s vaccination plan

Lebanon has reserved nearly 2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to fight the coronavirus, an amount that covers up to 20% of Lebanese. Last month, the Health Minister said his government has been negotiating with the company to acquire the vaccines and that they are expected to be in Lebanon by February. Assem Araji, the lawmaker who heads the parliamentary health committee, said the deal being negotiated is for $18 a dose, a price that takes into consideration Lebanon’s economic troubles. The $27 million deal would secure 1.5 million vaccines while the country negotiates to receive closer to 2 million.

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Additionally, Lebanon has also signed another 1.5 million vaccines with COVAX, the World Health Organization-led partnership with humanitarian organizations that aims to provide vaccines for up to 20% of the population of poor countries hit hard by the pandemic. Lebanon has deposited $4.3 million to secure the COVAX vaccines, Araji said. Both vaccines would be offered for free in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Mediterranean country’s health sector is also under strain amid the economic crunch and following this summer’s massive explosion in Beirut that temporarily knocked a number of hospitals out of service. The shortage of hard currency in Lebanon has severely curbed imports to the import-dependent country, including medicine and medical supplies. Many medicines are reportedly missing at pharmacies as the crisis worsens.

(Image: AP) 

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