Abiad Says Vaccine the 'Only Game Changer' as Lebanon Hits Record Deaths

Head of the main hospital leading the fight against Coronavirus, Doctor Firas Abiad, said Wednesday that initiating an “efficient” vaccination campaign is the only “game changer” after Lebanon hit a record high number of deaths, noting that it would be “unsafe” to ease the lockdown.

“While most Lebanese are waiting for the Covid numbers to improve so they can leave their homes, healthcare workers are waiting for the Covid numbers to improve so they can return to their homes. The latest numbers, however, must have been disappointing for both,” said Abiad on Twitter.

“The test positivity rate reported yesterday has decreased from before to 16%, and this was reflected in a drop in the daily number of new cases. The hope is for this to continue and become a trend. Still, it is much higher than it should be for a safe easing of the lockdown,” head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital added.

Abiad noted that “the hospital situation meanwhile is no better. Tragedies occur daily in emergency departments, Regular wards, and ICUs, and are, to our shame, being well documented in local and international press. The remaining hospital capacity can not cope with any new surge in cases,” he cautioned.

“Yesterday recorded the highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic,” in February last year, he noted. “Lebanon recorded in one month, January, almost an equal number of deaths to the total recorded last year. The death toll is one price we pay when Covid goes rampant if wrong choices are made.”

Lebanon recorded 2,770 coronavirus infections on Tuesday and 81 deaths, its highest since the first infection was detected in February.

“Can the poor and vulnerable, or the dithering business sectors, survive an extension of the lockdown. That is highly unlikely. Already, the increasing activity in the streets reveal that many are defying or working around the lockdown measures. Hunger can be a strong drive,” Abiad stated.

Extending a lockdown or choosing otherwise are “both different faces of the same bad coin,” he said, adding that “the only game changer now is the vaccine, and a competent roll out campaign. It is that, or bust.”