Lebanon on Tuesday announced a record daily number of over 300 COVID-19 infections and seven deaths from the virus as the country grapples with ...
FILE PHOTO: People walk as they wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in Beirut, Lebanon July 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirBEIRUT: Lebanon on Tuesday announced a record daily number of over 300 COVID-19 infections and seven deaths from the virus as the country grapples with the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion that rocked the capital and overwhelmed hospitals.
The country's tally now stands at 7,121 COVID-19 cases and 87 deaths since February, according to health ministry data. Even before the blast there had been a recent surge in infections.The Aug. 4 explosion killed at least 171 people, injured some 6,000 and damaged swathes of the capital, leaving some 300,000 without habitable housing. Hospitals, many of which were damaged and their staff injured, were flooded with wounded.
World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jarasevic told a United Nations briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that the displacement of so many people risks accelerating the spread of COVID-19. The WHO on Aug 7 issued an appeal for US$15 million to cover emergency health needs in Lebanon, where the healthcare sector had already been strained by shortages of medical supplies and medicine due to a deep financial crisis.
"The emergency in Beirut has caused many COVID-19 precautionary measures to be relaxed, raising the prospects of even higher transmission rates and a large caseload in coming weeks," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an Aug 10 report.It said at least 15 medical facilities, including three major hospitals, sustained partial or heavy structural damage from the blast.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UK COVID-19 daily death count could be scrapped: ReportThe UK's official COVID-19 daily death count could be scrapped following an investigation into Public Health England's method of counting the ...
Read more »
Philippines records 6,958 new COVID-19 cases, its highest daily increaseThe Philippines on Monday reported 6,958 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily case increase in the Southeast Asian country, taking its ...
Read more »
Australia borders to stay shut as COVID-19 daily deaths reach recordAustralia's second-most populous state has recorded 322 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the state's health department said on Monday.
Read more »
UK Covid-19 daily death count could be scrapped: MediaLONDON (REUTERS) - The UK's official Covid-19 daily death count could be scrapped following an investigation into Public Health England's method of counting the toll, The Telegraph newspaper reported.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Half the daily 100,000 COVID-19 cases in Americas are in US: WHO directorBRASILIA: More than 100,000 cases of C0VID-19 are being reported every day in the Americas, half of them in the United States, and there are ...
Read more »