Lebanon registered on Sunday 15 coronavirus-related deaths with 1,754 new infections, Health Ministry announced, adding that Pfizer vaccine has obtained an ‘Emergency Use Authorization’.

In its daily report, the ministry said 1,370 new infections were recorded among local residents, while the other 33 cases were imported, raising the total infections nationwide since February to 169,472.

11,124 PCR tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, including 823 at Beirut International Airport, according to the report.

15 new fatalities were registered over the past 24 hours, raising the nationwide death toll to 1,379, the ministry added.

1,077 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in the last 24 hours, including 422 at the ICU rooms with 139 of them are on ventilators, the report added.

In a separate statement, the ministry said it has contacted relevant authorities including the Russian embassy, the Chinese embassy and international pharmaceutical companies, requesting information related to the vaccines in order to be evaluated approved for emergency use.

“Based on the data available to the Ministry of Public Health, most importantly the effectiveness and approval of the vaccine by international references, which is the basis for registering and approving any drug in Lebanon, the Pfizer vaccine was selected since it fulfilled these controls,” the statement added, indicating that “the vaccine obtained an ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ and was also approved by the Ministry’s scientific committee,” the ministry said in the statement.

It added that Lebanon will receive the vaccine in mid-February, noting that it will cover 15% of the citizens in the country.

The ministry also indicated that it has negotiated with the Kovacs global platform to obtain additional vaccines that will be approved later by the World Health Organization.

Source: Al-Manar English Website and NNA