The Federation of Arab News Agencies “Fana” circulated the health bulletin of the Lebanese “National News Agency” prepared by our colleague Omaima Shams El-Din, stating:
Lebanon was able to largely overcome the Corona pandemic, despite the successive crises it is experiencing, as the state, especially the Ministry of Health, was able to confront the Covid-19 crisis with concerted local and global efforts.
The government’s plan during 2021 to combat the Corona pandemic, which focused on monitoring the situation, tracking infections, and preparing epidemiological studies, in addition to emphasizing media campaigns to urge the placement of masks and social distancing, as well as preventing large gatherings and determining the maximum number of people at parties according to the large place, and vaccination campaigns, all This played a major role in refuting the epidemic and reducing its impact on the number of deaths and hospital admissions. As a member of the National Committee to Combat Corona and a member of the Association of Physicians of Bacterial Diseases mentioned to the “National News Agency”, Professor Jacques Mukhbat.
Mukhbat pointed out that the epidemic passed through several stages, during the year 2021, the first stage reached its climax during the months of January and February, then during the months of July and August, the second peak and the third peak was during the month of December with the Omicron wave and continued until January of this year.
He pointed out that the number of injuries in the third wave, although large, was not serious, as the number of patients who entered hospitals and the number of deaths tomorrow is much less than the previous stages, and all of this came as a result of the vaccination process, in addition to that Omicron posed a danger less than the Delta mutant. .
As for the numbers, Mukhbat revealed that since the beginning of the epidemiological situation in February 2020 until now, the number of cases in Lebanon who were registered with the Ministry of Health was counted, and it was estimated at one million and 65,307 cases, and the number of deaths reached 1069, i.e. 4% of the injuries. “Currently, 94% of deaths are from unvaccinated people.”
We note that the percentage of vaccinated people who received the first dose was 48.5%, the second dose was 41.9%, and the third dose was 23%, and these percentages are low and do not give adequate protection from the epidemic, and there are those vaccinated outside Lebanon or outside the vaccination platform via the link covax.moph.gov .lb. There are those who are not yet convinced of the importance of the vaccine, despite the fact that Lebanon has large quantities of vaccines, according to Mokhbat, and the Ministry of Health has recently worked to bring in additional quantities, and we have also received donations from them, in addition to vaccination campaigns and a marathon in the regions.
The Ministry of Health has developed a plan to urge citizens to get vaccinated, such as forcing employees to receive the vaccine and preventing entry to restaurants for those who are not vaccinated. With all this, there are good numbers of those who abstain from receiving the vaccine, especially since the pace of the epidemic has eased in the recent period, and there is a fear that it will return to Height. Mukhbat explained: “We do not forget that the Corona virus is still present and will remain, as these viruses are not new and will continue, and we hope that we will reach mutants less dangerous than the ones that preceded them, and we have to adapt and demand vaccination at least during the next two years.”
And he hoped that “new, more dangerous mutations will not appear and be in the omicron pattern”, considering that we have reached a stage where the virus will live with us and cause only cases of normal respiratory infections of the type (cold) and may cause lung infections for people with immunodeficiency or the elderly who are vulnerable to infection. They are seriously ill (influenza).”
Publicly, as Professor Mukhbat emphasized, we will dispense with the wearing of masks at a later stage, and those who did not receive the vaccine may do so to protect themselves and society alike.
Source: National Agency