Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan has received an AstraZeneca coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine jab.
Hasan received the vaccine shot on Saturday morning, at the headquarters of the Baalbek Municipalities Union, as a participant in the Vaccine Marathon.
The official is set to tour authorized vaccination centers across Lebanon and administer the AstraZeneca vaccine as the Marathon goes on.
The nationwide vaccination event officially started on Saturday morning, with a significant turnout recorded in several areas, such as the Baabda District and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The goal of the Vaccine Marathon is to promote vaccination against COVID-19 and to fight rumors that surround the AstraZeneca vaccine in particular.
The district that ends up with the highest turnout will be declared the winner of the Marathon.
For this special occasion, unvaccinated individuals may show up at authorized vaccination centers even if they haven’t registered on the IMPACT platform to be vaccinated and don’t have an appointment, provided that they are above 30 years of age.
“The vaccine is an effective way to face coronavirus, and it gives safety to the person and his surroundings,” caretaker Minister Hasan said in a TV statement marking the launch of the Vaccine Marathon.
“We are working on the largest immunization strategy to gradually and safely restore economic activity,” he told LBCI.
He hoped that people would continue to show up to get vaccinated across Lebanese areas as the Vaccine Marathon continues throughout the day.
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