For the first time since the outbreak hit Lebanon in late February, the Ministry of Public Health recorded zero new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases on Tuesday, April 21st, exactly 2 months after the first case was confirmed.
The ministry made the announcement through its daily COVID-19 report released in the afternoon of Tuesday, in which it revealed that the total had remained constant at 677 with no new cases being recorded.
Moreover, the number of fatalities related to the disease had remained unchanged at 21 for more than a week, before reaching 22 on Wednesday, April 22nd after a new death was recorded.
On the other hand, the total of recoveries continues to rise on an almost daily basis, with a new one being recorded by the Health Ministry on Tuesday, and 5 more on Wednesday.
As of April 22nd, the number of total recoveries sits at 108, and the recovery rate in Lebanon is approximately 15.84%.
In the meantime, the Health Ministry’s medical teams continue to conduct random PCR tests to identify possible patients and contain the virus.
The plan is to cover as many areas as possible, starting from south to north. The first stop was in Saida’s governmental hospital. So far, PCR tests have also been done on random subjects in different municipalities of the South, Bekaa, and the North.
In Sidon (Saida), Dr. Arz Zaaiter, the doctor in charge of the ministry’s medical teams, said that these tests help form a general idea from which a conclusion about the current health situation in Lebanon can be made.
The tests will also help decide “whether it is necessary to do these tests for a second and third time so that we are at the service of our people,” Dr. Zaaiter added.
Since the early stages of the pandemic, Lebanon has shown efficient control over the quick-spreading virus, and the daily number of cases has been steadily declining over the past few weeks.
This is because authorities were swift in taking effective measures to mitigate and contain its spread, and most citizens showed great responsibility by properly adhering to home quarantine and other health guidelines.
Get the latest news and updates about the coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon along with a live monitor of cases in Lebanon as well as resources and information to help you guide the outbreak on our dedicated coronavirus page.