The COVID-19 vaccination drive officially kicked off and has been running smoothly since the arrival of 28,500 doses on Saturday evening, as more hospitals started to administer the vaccine.
In total, 42 vaccination centers in public and private hospitals across Lebanon have been launched, according to the Health Ministry.
With that, came the many pictures of people documenting the vaccination rollout process, and here is how things looked on that day:
93-year-old Lebanese actor and comedian Salah Tizani, who was one of Lebanon’s favorite TV characters for over a decade in his role of Abou Salim, became the first elderly to receive the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine against COVID-19.
A healthcare worker takes a selfie of the memorable moment as she receives the anti-coronavirus vaccine at the Medical Center of the American University of Beirut:
Ali Abdel Sater, a medical student at the Lebanese University (LU) and intern at Rafik Hariri University Hospital was one of the first people to get the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine… with a thumb up to the camera:
Abdel Sater had earlier posted his eagerness to get vaccinated, saying: “After a long wait, the final countdown has started, less than 24 hours left. A new journey about to begin. Hopefully, a better one.”
Giorgio Chadic, a medical doctor and dermatologist, sarcastically hit at anti-vaxxers and proudly showcased his vaccination process:
The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) organization also took to social media to share the vaccination process of their medical team:
More thump-ups caught that day as fourth-year medical student Hussein Beydoun takes the shot at AUBMC, and captioning his post later with: “Trust science!”
There were certainly vibes of excitement that day among the health workers.
That was unmistakably visible as well with Alaa Alayli, a psychiatry resident at AUBMC. The future Lebanese psychiatrist made sure to get ready his message of encouragement to the public, which he lifted during his inoculation to say: “Vaccines Save Lives!”
Radiologist Dr. Maya Sammour is among the newly vaccinated Lebanese encouraging the public to take action against the nation-wide pandemic and get vaccinated.
As promised by the World Bank, the International Federation of The Red Cross (IFRC) was present monitoring the process; below, at a nursing home:
Elderly residents and staff of the nursing home received the vaccination in the presence of the IFRC:
AUBMC nurse Aya Moreno vaccinated over 100 people during the first day of the campaign. She tweeted photos that same day, saying “Proud to be a part of this, stay safe and get vaccinated.”
Another call to trust science hashtagged in a tweet by a health worker, Dr. Ibrahim Abdallah, whose enthusiasm is unmistakably relevant with his FINALYYYYYY.
Rita El-Daher, a registered nurse at Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Beirut, who has been working a 19-hour shift to meet the demands at the frontline of the pandemic, receiving her first shot:
Someone celebrated his birthday by getting vaccinated! “Couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift,” Dr. Ali Karaki tweeted. “At last, a glimpse of hope after a year of struggles.”
Dr. Firass Abiad, who’s been the top health expert reference for the Lebanese people, updating and advising the public relentlessly during this pandemic, had a word of wisdom to caption his shot:
Once again, as all through since the onset of the pandemic, the heroes of Lebanon are standing as a role model at the frontline of this fierce battle.
