A Lebanese factory is set to launch the necessary negotiations to begin manufacturing coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in Lebanon, according to caretaker Industry Minister Imad Hoballah.
While inspecting local hospitals during a tour on Wednesday, Hoballah thanked all hospitals in Lebanon for “their belief in Lebanese industry,” praising the joint efforts between the private and public sectors to battle the pandemic.
He congratulated the hospitals for their efforts before addressing skeptics in the capabilities of Lebanon’s industry, particularly in the medical field, calling on everyone to encourage and use local products.
The official emphasized that a Lebanese factory has “full readiness and capabilities,” and will start negotiations to allow it to manufacture vaccines, affirming that Lebanon also has the capacity to undertake the task.
The Health Ministry has reportedly received around 20 applications from the private sector to negotiate with international companies in order to import COVID-19 vaccines.
On Tuesday, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s office announced that Lebanon would begin vaccinating people on Sunday, a day after the first shipment of vaccine doses arrives.
In order to facilitate the process, Lebanon is also launching on Thursday a hotline for people to register for vaccination. Similarly, residents have already started to register on the government platform.
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