Lebanese authorities announced that they had succeeded in slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the country, due to the measures imposed over the past two weeks.
The Prime Minister’s Adviser for Health Affairs, Petra Khoury, said on Sunday that the preliminary figures show that the change that occurred during the 14-day period had “straightened the curve of positive cases”.
“We have achieved some victories and have slowed the spread. So far, the number of positive cases has increased by only 2.4% compared to 50.9% in the previous 14-day period, and our mortality rate is 7% lower. But we need to reduce the number of cases due to the very low capacity of our intensive care units,” she said.
Khoury stressed that the matter required additional measures in major cities (Beirut and the suburbs), saying: “We can control the spread, protect our loved ones, and prevent additional deaths, only with government enforcement and civil responsibility, and it is up to us to continue changing the curve.”
Lebanon ranks 59th in the world in terms of total infections, and 78th in the cumulative number of deaths from the coronavirus. However, Lebanon’s ranking was surprising in terms of the number of active positive cases and the level of critical cases, landing it 33rd place.
The authorities have enforced new security measures to prevent the spread of the virus. On Sunday, Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi issued a decision to isolate 55 new towns, based on the recommendations of the relevant health committees.
