Lebanon now has a total of 248 coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, as confirmed by the Ministry of Public Health on Sunday, March 22nd.
In its daily COVID-19 report, the Health Ministry stated: “From February 21st until March 22nd, 2020, the total of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 248 after 18 cases were recorded since yesterday.”
This total is inclusive of all positive coronavirus cases across Lebanon, in Rafik Hariri University Hospital as well as other hospitals accredited by the Ministry of Public Health.
According to the report, “five cases were received from laboratories not approved by the Ministry, and they need to be reconfirmed at Hariri Hospital.”
The number of active positive cases, considering that 4 deaths and 8 recoveries have been recorded in total, is 236 as of March 22nd.
As of the same date, 7 patients remain in quarantine awaiting their test results and 4 cases are considered critical out of the total cases, according to the Health Ministry’s latest data.
Meanwhile, “the ministry is following up on all the cases that were diagnosed in non-reference laboratories in order to confirm them.”
This is considering that “during the investigation of some cases, it was found that they were re-examined in other private laboratories and the result was negative.”
This makes it imperative for the Health Ministry to re-conduct the tests “to resolve the final result.”
Yesterday, Minister Hamad Hasan said that Lebanon has “slipped into the diffusion stage” after the total of recorded coronavirus cases surpassed 200.
Community infections have been recently growing as authorities apply more preventive measures and newer restrictions, like deploying the army to impose quarantine on the citizens across the country, to help mitigate the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry continues to stress that all citizens are to “adhere to the strict measures issued by the official references and to stay in their houses, except when absolutely necessary.”
In accordance with the latest governmental measures, the Lebanese Army, alongside security forces, is patrolling the streets and ensuring that citizens are conforming with the state’s guidelines.
All but essential shops and institutions in Lebanon have been shut to prevent gatherings and contact between people as much as possible.
Similarly, all air, sea, and land ports remain closed as part of the government’s general mobilization plan until the extendable date of March 29th, 2020.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the public to commit to “self-imposed curfew” to win against the “significant danger” that is the coronavirus.
الرّهان اليوم على وعي النّاس والتزامهم، مدينة #صور ملتزمة تمامًا، إقفال تامّ، طرقات خالية، إلّا من الشّرطة وبعض المعنيين، بهذه الرّوحيّة وهذا الوعي، ننتصر على #كورونا#خليك_بالبيت #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/KN4hFQRlk2
— ﮼حسن،الدّر (@DorHasan) March 22, 2020