By Reuters Staff
3 Min Read
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s parliament on Friday approved a law that paves the way for the government to sign deals for coronavirus vaccines as it battles a steep increase in infections.
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Lebanon said in mid-December it was expecting to sign a deal for supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and hoped to receive the first batch eight weeks after that.
But the country, now struggling with a severe spike in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals, hit a legal stumbling block that has so far prevented it from finalising the agreement.
The new law would give Pfizer-BioNtech, and other companies that provide vaccines to Lebanon, protection from any future liability claims for two years.
BEIRUT Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan was infected with COVID-19 and hospitalized in Saint George Hospital University Medical Center for treatment, the National News Agency (NNA) reported Wednesday.
Lebanon begins new lockdown amid surge in coronavirus cases sfchronicle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfchronicle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A cordon is seen at Beirut Corniche in Beirut, Lebanon, on Jan. 8, 2021. Lebanon reported on Friday a new record of 5,440 daily COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the country to 210,139. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
Lebanon reported on Friday a new record of 5,440 daily COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the country to 210,139.
The death toll went up by 17 to 1,570, the Health Ministry said.
Lebanon started on Thursday the third nationwide lockdown since the outbreak of the virus on Feb. 21, 2020.
LBCI local TV channel reported on Friday evening that a big number of people have been committing to the new lockdown measures while security forces were deployed in the streets to monitor the adopted measures.
Lebanon is expected to sign a deal this week for supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine and is set to receive the first batch eight weeks after that, the caretaker health minister said.