Today, Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the number of Coronavirus cases in Lebanon may increase, after half of the health care facilities in Beirut were damaged by the devastating explosion that hit the port of the capital last week.
Richard Brennan, Director of Emergencies at the WHO Regional Office, confirmed that after the evaluation of 55 hospitals and health centers in Beirut, “slightly more than 50% of them are out of service.”
Iman Al-Shanqeeti, the World Health Organization’s representative in Lebanon, said today that there is a shortage of hospital beds ranging between 500 and 600 beds in Beirut following the explosion.
Brennan also warned of what he called the “alarming rise” of cases of Coronavirus in Lebanon since the explosion.
He added, “Yesterday (Tuesday) we witnessed the largest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Lebanon.”
The August 4 bombing in the Beirut port killed at least 171 people and injured 6,000 others, according to official data.
The blast caused extensive damage to buildings and hospitals across the city.
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