Lockdown slowing down COVID-19 spread: Lebanon’s caretaker PM

Lockdown slowing down COVID-19 spread: Lebanon’s caretaker PM

“We are one step closer to gradually settling back into our lives not only in Lebanon, but around the world as well,” Diab said of the inoculation campaign that would start by mid-February. Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan, unveiling the national vaccination strategy, said their aim is to vaccinate around 80 percent of the population by the end of 2021. Hasan announced that the vaccine will be free of charge for all, even at private vaccination centers.An electronic platform to register to receive the vaccine, originally set to be launched Monday will be live Thursday.Hasan also revealed that the government has made the decision to accept “any donations of vaccines,” but in line with the national vaccination strategy and adopted standards. Lebanon has so far signed agreements with different international pharmaceutical companies for around 6 million doses of coronavirus vaccine with the first shipment set to arrive on Feb. 8 which will contain 50,000 jabs of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.Healthcare workers and the elderly have been identified as the top priority to be vaccinated.Lebanon for the past month has been witnessing an unprecedented surge in the number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths. A total lockdown was imposed by authorities to