Loading…

By Staff, Agencies Lebanon confirmed a record 24 deaths due to coronavirus complications Thursday, the second death rate record set this week.

The Health Ministry reported 1,859 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of registered cases to 122,159 since February. A record 23 coronavirus-related deaths had also been confirmed Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths since the virus was first detected to 974.

Despite the rising death rate and consistently high daily case numbers, the head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital Dr Firass Abiad said that the lockdown, which is set to end November30, is unlikely to be extended.

“The test positivity rate is still stubbornly high, but the lockdown is unlikely to be extended,” Abiad said in a tweet.

However, if people did not adhere to protective measures after the lockdown and return to having large gatherings, “any gains from the lockdown will be lost,” Abiad warned.

Abiad added that the number of deaths in Lebanon was still not as high as in other countries and increasing bed capacities in hospitals might prevent the numbers from rising further.

He affirmed that private hospitals were expanding their coronavirus bed capacities.

“The private hospitals are adding 210 regular and 90 ICU beds to their COVID-19 capacity, spread over 62 hospitals,” Abiad said.

According to the Health Ministry, there are currently 341 people in intensive care.

A total of 11,804 PCR tests had been administered in the last 24 hours.

The positivity rate of the tests in the last two weeks stood at 14.9 percent.

Of the registered cases, only 13 were found among incoming travelers from abroad

Original Article Source: Al Ahed News | Published on Friday, 27 November 2020 06:35 (about 1217 days ago)