BEIRUT: Lebanon confirmed 995 new coronavirus cases and six deaths Monday, as critical cases continue to rise in the country, putting pressure on hospitals already on the brink of capacity.
The daily [number] of patients in ICU has risen by 62 in three weeks, head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital Dr. Firass Abiad said in a tweet. The number of critical cases recorded by the Health Ministry Monday was at 211, up from 207 critical cases recorded the previous day.
The total number of registered cases in the country rose to 62,944, with 526 deaths now recorded as a result of the virus.
If the current course is maintained, a point will soon be reached where the increase in critical Covid cases outnumber the available ICU beds. This will coincide with the winter months when patients with pneumonia from other causes increase the demand on ICU beds, Abiad said.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan publicly admitted Sunday in an interview with Lebanese newspaper Al-Diyar that localized lockdowns had so far proven unsuccessful in preventing the spread of the virus, stating that it would now be necessary to expand such measures to larger cities.
The number of daily cases has consistently remained over 1,000 over the last two weeks despite the government imposing localized lockdowns on 169 villages and towns last week.
In Beirut, where numbers are surging, many restaurants and bars remain open with little adherence to social distancing measures.
Either a strict conduct is adopted by individuals and businesses, and enforced by authorities, or the number of deaths per million will rise sharply. Winter is almost here, Abiad said.
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