Over 50,000 people in Lebanon have been given their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine since the national vaccination campaign began two weeks ago.
While many flaws have already emerged in Lebanon‘s vaccination plan, a total of 50,415 have been vaccinated as of Saturday, according to a report by the Ministry of Health (MOPH).
This includes a number of Lebanese MPs who jumped the queue to receive their doses despite the World Bank’s call for “No Wasta” (no favoritism).
Health Minister Hamad Hassan said he allowed himself to present the vaccines to the MPs as a gesture of gratitude after they worked to pass an emergency approval law for the vaccines.
While many argue that the MPs just did the minimum of what is expected from them, Hassan saw it as another grand achievement in the government’s COVID-19 response.
It’s worth mentioning that over 40% of vaccinated people weren’t registered to receive it. According to the IMPACT platform, only 34,991 vaccines were administered whereas the MOPH reported a higher number.
Moreover, the ministry stated that it had received a total of 59,670 vaccines as of February 26th and that it had already provided vaccination centers with 51,546 doses.
Granted, the ministry did provide a number of expiring vaccines to a hospital that was not even accredited to conduct vaccination…. that’s just another fluke in the local vaccination campaign.
We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.
