The Lebanese Medical Association President, Professor Sharaf Abu Sharaf, announced a rapid increase in the number of infections, stating that “the hospital beds, especially those in intensive care for COVID-19 patients, are full.”
Abu Sharaf said, "We are paying the price for the laxity of both citizens and officials alike," noting that "we have exceeded 15 percent in infections, which is a very high percentage that no country in the world has recorded." He considered that the solution is a comprehensive lockdown, adherence to masks, prohibition of gatherings, and preparation of public hospitals. "Private hospitals are full of patients, and they also have chronic disease patients who are in need of treatment."
He also emphasized the need to enhance coordination between the Ministry of Health, the Lebanese Red Cross, and hospitals to direct patients, alongside involving the private sector in bringing in various vaccines as soon as possible rather than limiting them to just Pfizer.
On his part, Assi Mraji, head of the Health Committee in the Lebanese Parliament, called on President Michel Aoun to declare a state of health emergency in the country due to the increase in daily COVID-19 infections. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported yesterday 20 deaths and 5,414 new cases of the virus in Lebanon.
The ministry's daily report clarified that the total number of deaths from the virus in the country reached 1,590, while the total number of infections reached 215,553. This comes amid warnings of a potential repetition of the "Italian scenario" in Lebanon before the arrival of the vaccine next month. The surge in COVID-19 cases in Lebanon is placing pressure on its already weakened healthcare system amid a severe financial crisis, which has also worsened following a massive explosion at the Beirut port last August that damaged several hospitals in the vicinity of the blast.
