Lebanon woke up Sunday to the news of three simultaneous deaths among COVID-19 patients at the Saydet Zgharta University Medical Center in North Lebanon.
The news came a day after reports of the death of several patients in a hospital in Jordan due to a lack of oxygen.
In response, King Abdullah II of Jordan personally headed to the hospital to demand answers as to what happened. In addition, the country’s health minister was dismissed.
In Lebanon, initial reports of the death of three COVID-19 patients rumored that the deaths were caused by a lack of oxygen support because of an electrical malfunction.
The sudden loss pushed Lebanon’s caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan to immediately call for an investigation into the deaths.
However, according to the hospital’s administration, the electricity did not cut off nor was there a shortage of oxygen, explaining that “the three patients were suffering from critical health conditions and had been in intensive care for more than two weeks.”
It added that the hospital will be looking into identifying the cause of the death to confirm whether there was a connection with the lack of oxygen pumping or whether it was due to other medical reasons in order to ensure the full truth to the families of the deceased and to the public.
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