On Monday, the Minister of Public Health, Firas Abiad, announced to the press that Lebanon won’t return to lockdowns to face the rising cases “as long as the situation in the hospitals is under control,” but instead “might adopt more strictness in preventive measures.”
This comes after the Executive Committee for COVID 19 Vaccination in the Ministry of Public Health stated on Saturday “We are facing a new wave of the coronavirus, expected to be more infectious and to spread faster.”
Abiad explained that the high rate of infection is a result of the new variant spreading around the world and Lebanon’s low vaccination rate that has not yet exceeded 50%.
The news follows last week’s rise in COVID cases that came after months of decline since March 2022. In the past 7 days, they were 19 new hospital admissions and 8 new deaths.
The Minister reminded citizens of the necessity of taking the COVID vaccine to increase the community’s immunity.
On June 27th, fourth dose vaccination for people aged 12 and above started in Lebanon.
New COVID waves have been announced around the world mostly in Europe and Australia.
Related: Lebanon Is Witnessing A Rise In COVID Cases After Months Of Declines