The Director General of Rafik Hariri Hospital, Dr. Firas Abiad, pointed out that “on Monday, the ministry of Public Health will start rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine for people in the 55-65 years category. Rafic Hariri Hospital will be one of the designated centers. In Flag of Lebanon, in the past 10 days alone, more than 120 patients in that age category have died from Covid. Vaccines can prevent that”.

“Numerous studies have shown that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective. Millions of patients have received the vaccine in the UK, resulting in a sharp decline in Covid cases. Europe is considering stopping its export, to speed up its vaccination campaign”, he followed on twitter.

Abiad emphasized that “Covid cases are on the rise. Easing restrictions and low compliance will inadvertently result in even higher infection rates. For older patients or those with comorbidities, the partial protection offered by vaccines can be the difference between life and death. Yet, many people declare they will not take the AstraZeneca vaccine if offered the chance. Some raise concerns regarding safety or efficacy. Some prefer to wait for another vaccine, while others do not want any vaccine at all, though the alternative may be Covid infection”, he added.

He also said that “yesterday, my friend passed away from Covid. He was 63 years old. If it wasn’t for restrictions, many of us would be attending funerals almost daily. People offered the vaccine on Monday should not pass their chance, for their sake, and for the sake of their family and friends”.