Caretaker Public Health Minister, Hamad Hassan, inaugurated on Sunday the Coronavirus Vaccination Center at Baalbek Governmental Hospital, in the presence of a member of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Dr. Ali al-Moqdad; Chairman of the Hospital’s Board of Directors, Dr. Abbas Shukr; as well as Mayor of Baalbek Fouad Blouq, and Head of Baalbek Municipalities Union, Ali Yaghi.

Following his tour of the hospital sections and his inspection of the new vaccination center, Hassan said: “We are committed to the plan to protect all groups of Lebanese society and residents, and this is our responsibility as a whole, as the Ministry of Public Health cannot place observers in every vaccination center to check identities and identity papers. This is the task of the center’s director and the hospital director, and we hope that this matter will be taken into consideration”.

“With regard to the vaccination campaign, I hope that we adhere to all the standards according to the set national plan, avoiding any favoritism….and anyone contributing and partaking in any transgressions, must remember that those in the old age category are the priority. The responsibility for protecting this age group rests on the officials of these centers by not overlooking the applied standards or adopting the principle of favoritism”, Hassan underlined.

Touching on the lockdown measures, the Health Minister said: “After the general lockdown, it was revealed that the governorates of Beirut and Mount Lebanon recorded a decrease in the number of infections, and a decrease in positive PCR examinations from 22% to about 18%, while the governorates of Baalbek-Hermel, Akkar and some other governorates recorded an increase in the number of cases due to weak commitment to preventive measures”, Hassan said.

“We must pay attention to the fact that fighting the epidemic is still mandatory, and preventive behavior against the epidemic should continue, including the obligation to wear the mask and maintain social distancing”, reminded Hassan.