Lebanon is set to launch a marathon for people over 30 to receive AstraZeneca vaccine shots across the provinces.
The vaccination marathon will start on Saturday, and it aims at promoting vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) and combating rumors that surround the AstraZeneca vaccine in particular.
According to the Health Ministry, which announced the event on Tuesday, the province that records the largest number of vaccinations will be declared the winner of the marathon.
This event comes after a large number of Lebanese have chosen not to show up to vaccination appointments where they were supposed to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, due to fear of side effects linked to this vaccine.
Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan proclaimed that an investigation is ongoing into the case of a man who died in Lebanon 3 days after receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine shot.
Hasan said that whether this and the 8 other deaths reported following AstraZeneca injections were linked to the vaccine shots themselves has yet to be determined.
A study conducted by the Health Ministry indicated that Lebanon, which started its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in February, has achieved a herd immunity percentage of 42% among Lebanese nationals and nearly 47% among Palestinian refugees.
As of the time of writing, a total of 678,178 vaccine doses against the disease have been administered in Lebanon.
We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.
