The outgoing Ministry of Health Hamad Hassan said it had decided to postpone it to 6 weeks after the first injection of the 2nd dose of Pfizer vaccines. this would increase the number of people protected against the first dose
Speaking on the airwaves of the OTV, he indicated that this approach has been adopted by many countries on the basis of recommendations from their scientific committees. According to the minister, 20% of the local population currently benefit from acquired immunity either after infection or after vaccination. Nearly 750,000 additional doses of Pfizer vaccines should thus arrive in June and July, while deliveries of AstraZeneca or Sputnik vaccine doses should continue. Ultimately, the Lebanese authorities would like to benefit 80% of the population.
Responding to the controversy concerning the vaccination of vulnerable populations such as Syrian and Palestinian refugees or domestic workers , Hamad Hassan indicated that 600,000 doses were provided to the NGOs taking care of them. A discussion with the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee on the creation of a special platform for the benefit of Palestinian refugees is also reportedly underway.
According to current scientific information, a dose of Pfizer vaccine would already provide 80% reliability at 2 weeks.
A total of 499,839 have been infected since February 21, 2020, the date of the discovery of a first case in Lebanon.
The total number of people affected by the virus reaches 494,836 local cases and 5,003 cases from abroad.
87,002 people are currently infected and 404,149 have been cured.
The total number of people who have died is 6,738 since the onset of the disease in Lebanon on February 21, 2020.
1,915 people were hospitalized and 844 people were in critical condition and 231 people were placed on ventilators.
A total of 212,865 people over 75 years of age, vulnerable people or even healthcare personnel are now vaccinated and have received a first dose and 110,731 people have received both doses. This campaign would already result in a drop in the number of people hospitalized in general, even if the number of people in a critical condition appears stable according to the current assessment.