On Friday, the Ministry of Public Health stated that “as of March 13th, 2020, at noon, the total of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 77.”
This means that 4 new cases have been confirmed since the last report.
The total includes “those diagnosed at Rafic Hariri Governmental University Hospital and those reported from other university hospitals,” the ministry added.
Moreover, in an unprecedented incident in Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed that an employee in its central administration has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The statement revealed that the employee “had picked up the infection from one of her diagnosed relatives.”
She is now being quarantined accordingly while the ministry follows the necessary procedures to “identify those who’ve been in contact [with her] inside and outside the ministry.”
Furthermore, the ministry’s health workers are taking steps to “collect samples and place the contacts in domestic quarantine.”
According to Al-Jadeed, the new patient named “C.A.” had recently informed her manager of her recent contact with a relative of hers who had died a few days earlier, after being infected with the coronavirus.
Following this conversation, she was tested for the virus and the laboratory analysis result turned out positive. Reportedly, “C.A.” works in the disease and epidemic prevention department of the Health Ministry.
And naturally, employees in this department regularly come in contact with other government health officials as well as Lebanese citizens.
Therefore, after her diagnosis, the Ministry of Public Health began sterilizing the second floor of its building. Additionally, all of the ministry’s employees are now undergoing the necessary medical examinations.
On a side note, Minister Hamad Hasan said on Friday that the Lebanese government “might declare a state of health or civil emergency” today. He also said that the public “should expect the announcement of 20 new coronavirus cases in Lebanon today.”
Correction: The total number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon was 78 at the time of writing and the number of new cases between March 12th and 13th was 5 – (March 13th, 2020 at 10:38 PM): We initially reported that the total number of cases in Lebanon was 77, including the infected employee of the Ministry of Public Health, and that the number of new cases recorded between March 12th and 13th was 4. Upon being presented with new information, we reflected this in the corrections.
Correction 2: The total number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon was 77 at the time of writing and the number of new cases between March 12th and 13th was 4 – (March 14th, 2020 at 6:48 PM): We initially reported that the total number of cases in Lebanon was 78, including the infected employee of the Ministry of Public Health, and that the number of new cases recorded between March 12th and 13th was 5. Upon being presented with new information, we reflected this in the corrections.