BEIRUT: Lebanon reported 147 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

The total number of cases recorded is 543,698 alongside a total of 7,829 deaths since the virus was first detected in the country in February 2020. Out of the 147 new cases, 23 were identified among travelers arriving to Lebanon.

The cases were found after carrying out 15,656 tests, resulting in an average two-week positivity rate of 1.3 percent. The report also detailed that 109 infected patients were in hospital, with 60 in intensive care and 18 on ventilators.

The Health Ministry report also showed that 13,264 first-dose coronavirus vaccines had been administered, raising the total to 810,428 individuals, or 17 percent of eligible people, who have now had their first shot since the vaccination process began five months ago. A further 5,113 second dose coronavirus jabs were also administered, taking the total of fully inoculated people to 402,641 or 8.4 percent.

The country has seen a rise in the number of fully vaccinated people as a result of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech marathons organized by the Health Ministry over the last month and the increasing willingness of the public to take the vaccine. Consequently, various sectors such as the hospitality sector, banks, supermarkets, and the public sector have reopened and restrictions have been reduced.

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