BEIRUT: Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan Sunday signed the final agreement with Pfizer to secure more than 2 million doses of their vaccine against coronavirus, a statement from his office said.

Shipments as announced previously are set to arrive gradually starting mid-February.

Health Ministry officials have said that the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine will contain tens of thousands of doses only and around 33 or 34 vaccination centers will be set up.

The Pfizer agreement is in addition to the deal signed with the COVAX platform late last year to procure 2.7 million jabs from various international companies. Both President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab have signed the decrees to direct funds to pay for the COVAX agreement.

The Health Ministry in cooperation with the private health sector is also in the process of acquiring two million doses of vaccines from the British Oxford-AstraZeneca and Chinese Sinopharm companies starting February, the statement said.

Parliament Friday passed a law that granted the emergency use of the coronavirus vaccine, a pre-requisite of any deal with any company, that essentially placed any liability on the state as opposed to the companies producing them.

The Health Ministry added that they had received 18 ICU ventilators from the last shipment from the order that was placed last March using the World Bank loan. The shipment arrived late due to complications in the money transfer process, the ministry said.

The distribution of these ventilators is being carried out in accordance to the level of need and under the supervision of Diab and Hasan.

The shipment also contained high flow oxygen devices that are being distributed as gifts or loans to private and public hospitals that are witnessing great pressure. Twenty-five private hospitals received 48 of these devices and 13 public hospitals in different governorates received 42 of them, according to the statement.

The ministry is also expecting the arrival of an additional shipment of intensive care beds and respirators they had purchased from the World Health Organization that will be distributed in accordance to the needs of both private and public hospitals.

It also sought to clarify issues regarding the field hospital donated by Qatar months ago, announcing that it will be set up at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital or the Camille Chamoun Sports City.

Balamand University Medical Center headed by Dr. Elias Warrak will start to operate in cooperation with medical syndicates, university hospitals, the Red Cross and the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile the installation of the two other field hospitals donated by Qatar in Seer al-Dinnieh and Tripoli continues, the statement said.

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