Coronavirus : Lebanon confirms 4 more cases

Lebanon on Sunday confirmed Four new coronavirus cases were confirmed Sunday in Lebanon , taking the overall tally to 32, according to Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

A statement issued by the hospital said it received 100 cases at its coronavirus section over the past 24 hours.

“They all underwent the necessary medical examinations and 19 of them needed to be kept in quarantine according to the overseeing doctor’s evaluation while the rest will observe home isolation,” the statement said.

Lab tests were meanwhile conducted for 116 individuals of whom 112 tested negative and four tested positive.

The statement said 28 of those who tested positive are in the hospital’s quarantine unit while the other four will be transferred later.

It added that three out of those infected are in a critical condition while the rest are in a stable condition.

Lebanon has closed schools, sport clubs, nightclubs, fairs and other venues and urged against gatherings, after Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced that the country is no longer in the containment phase regarding the virus.

Lebanon faces a severe dollar shortage that has hit imports since October, when anti-government protests erupted and banks imposed stiff capital controls, leaving hospitals exposed to shortages in everything from dialysis equipment to syringes. 

The outbreak is expected to grow, challenging hard-hit medical facilities. 

“I don’t think we’re done. I think we’re in the beginning and the cases will increase. But I think the important question is: how prepared are we?” Lebanon World Health Organization (WHO) representative Iman Shankiti said last week. 

Almost all the virus cases in Lebanon are of Lebanese , Syrian and Iranian people who came from Iran . The Hezbollah backed Lebanese government took too long to halt flights from and to Iran because of the party’s dependence on the islamic republic

Some countries already suspended flights to and from Lebanon . In the midst of the ongoing financial crisis in Lebanon, this is the last thing the Lebanese need. Again, fingers will be pointed at Hezbollah and Iran.

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