BEIRUT: Lebanon registered 37 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,510 cases in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Thursday, as the Lebanese Army began inoculating officers and soldiers.

The cases were detected among 21,772 tests, with only 43 cases found among travelers arriving at Rafik Hariri International Airport. The average positivity rate throughout the last two weeks stood at 16 percent.

The total number of cases since the virus was first detected in the country on Feb. 21, 2020, rose to 489,428 according to figures released by the Health Ministry. The total number of fatalities now stands at 6,549.

The statistics provided by the Health Ministry also show that 1,967 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and related complications, with 882 in the ICU and 239 requiring ventilators.

The Health Ministry also reported that 7,292 first-stage jabs and 2,905 second-round vaccinations were administered in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of inoculations since the Feb. 14 onset to 183,173 first-stage and 98,603 second-stage jabs so far.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army said Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun was the first to get the vaccine and that thousands of soldiers will be vaccinated in the coming weeks. Lebanon received a gift of 90,000 Sinopharm shots from China earlier this week.

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