A handful of Lebanese senior officials have reportedly been able to secure a China-made COVID-19 vaccine, including two of three of Lebanon’s heads of state: Aoun, Berri, or Hariri.
According to Lebanon Debate, one of these officials received the vaccine during travels in the United Arab Emirates, which recently approved a vaccine developed by China’s SinoPharm.
That turns attention directly to the PM-designate Saad Hariri who was reportedly visiting the UAE recently for a family holiday.
Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, earlier said that he won’t take the anti-coronavirus vaccine, which was later countered by the presidency’s press office announcing that the president will be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine after all.
اوضح مكتب الاعلام في رئاسة الجمهورية ان رئيس الجمهورية العماد ميشال عون سوف يتلقى اللقاح ضد الكورونا ، وذلك خلافا لما نشر اليوم في وسائل الاعلام والتواصل الاجتماعي
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) December 28, 2020
It is to note that Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was vocal about not wanting to receive the “American vaccine”. Perhaps the non-FDA-approved Chinese vaccine could be his alternative.
Lebanon itself, which just entered yet another lockdown and broke its COVID-19 record again, is expected to receive its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech in mid-February.
