Lebanon records an alarming 23 COVID-19 deaths, 1,188 cases

PHOTO

BEIRUT: Lebanon recorded an alarming 23 deaths and 1,188 cases Tuesday, as the coronavirus committee indicated that the number of cases is slightly decreasing.

Of the new cases, 19 were found among travelers arriving from abroad.

The Health Ministry reported that a total of 11,837 PCR tests had been administered in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 14.8 percent.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab chaired a coronavirus committee meeting Tuesday, during which the attendees examined all the possible strategies to ensure adequate results from the full lockdown, which is set to end Nov. 30.

Head of the parliamentary Health Committee MP Assem Araji Tuesday urged private hospitals in Lebanon to fulfill their promises of expanding coronavirus units in their facilities, as well as increasing bed capacities.

According to the Health Ministry, 341 people are currently in a critical condition.

The World Health Organization in Lebanon reported that the number of Intensive Care Unit beds had increased from 372 on Nov. 13 to 437 on Nov. 23.

However, many hospitals are understaffed and lack the health workers to accommodate the expansions. Many are infected themselves while others have left the country in search of better opportunities abroad.

The Health Ministry reported that 1,679 health care workers so far have been infected with the disease. Among these cases, seven were registered positive in the last 24 hours.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is syndicated or provided to this website from an external third party provider. We are not responsible for, and do not control, such external websites, entities, applications or media publishers. The body of the text is provided on an as is and as available basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither we nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this article. Read our full disclaimer policy here.