Dr. George Joufilykian, the head of the Intensive Care Unit at St. George Hospital, confirmed that PCR tests in Lebanon may not detect the British variant of the coronavirus.
Joufilykian explained in an interview with LBCI that PCR tests in Lebanon might not reveal the presence of the British variant, noting that the majority of tests coming back negative in recent days could actually be positive, and the individuals could be infected with the variant. He pointed out that this has led to a recent rapid spread of the virus. Joufilykian emphasized that the only solution now is to adhere to a 6-week lockdown, stressing the importance of vaccination.
Moreover, Dr. Jack Makhlouf, a specialist in infectious diseases, confirmed that the complete lockdown announced in Lebanon could somewhat curb the wave of the coronavirus spread and would allow hospitals and the healthcare sector to catch their breath and begin broader preparations awaiting the arrival of the vaccine.
The second variant of the coronavirus was discovered earlier in December in the UK and is believed to be 70% more contagious than the current strain of the pandemic, which has caused a rapid surge in infections in areas of London and Southeast England. Many countries rushed to halt flights with the UK to prevent the mutated virus from reaching their territories.
However, the second variant has already reached many countries across most continents. In the Middle East, Lebanon became the first Arab country to announce cases of the new variant, while Oman authorities suspected cases last week but did not confirm any infections, alongside Israel.
