Dr Abdulrahman Bizri, chairman of the national committee for COVID-19 vaccination, said on Monday that there are contradictory indicators regarding the health situation in Lebanon.

“On the positive side, we can see the obvious and continuous decline in COVID-19 infections, the reduced number of fatalities and percentage of positive tests, the growing figures of those getting inoculated and the arrival of additional quantities of vaccines to reassure the citizen that slowing the spread of this pandemic is possible through available capabilities,” he said.

“As for the negative side, the clear shortage of medicine, materials used in diagnosis and treatment, and medical equipment, in addition to the immigration of so many doctors and nursing and technical staff pose a serious threat to the citizens’ health security,” Bizri added.

“The real problem lies in the absence of a clear vision and potentials in light of a state of economic and political bankruptcy the country is struggling with,” he said, pointing out to “the absence of responsibility under a government that acts as a caretaker in theory but practically it sits idly by watching the great collapse.”

Earlier in the day, Bizri said the health situation with regard to the coronavirus has improved lately, but there are still some difficulties related to the shortage in medical equipment.

During a radio interview, he said “indicators show that the epidemiological rate between locals is declining. However citizens should continue to abide by the safety and preventive measures.”

Lebanon’s health ministry announced on Monday that 111 new COVID-19 infections were reported over the past 24 hours, along with 6 deaths.

The total number of confirmed cases stands now at 540,388 while the overall tally of fatalities is 7,729.