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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese Health Ministry Tries to Contain Vaccine Distribution Mess

A healthcare worker gestures during a coronavirus vaccination campaign, at Rafik Hariri University Hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon February 14, 2021. (Reuters)

The Lebanese Ministry of Health is working to avoid possible chaos in the distribution of vaccines, stressing the need to register exclusively through the official platform, in accordance with its directives.

This comes after a number of accredited vaccination centers publicized dedicated phone numbers, allowing the citizens to contact them directly to receive the Covid-19 vaccines, without the need to register through the official application or wait for the date specified for them in the platform.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said that these practices “constitute a clear violation of the ministry’s directives and the standards of transparency and fairness set in coordination with the National Committee for Vaccine Administration.”

The Ministry reminded all concerned parties to “abide by the controls and standards” set by the authorities to guarantee a fair distribution of vaccines, warning that violations would lead to halting the existing cooperation with the centers.

In parallel, the ministry deployed more vaccination centers across the Lebanese regions, within a plan that aims to vaccinate at least half of the Lebanese population this year.

Vaccination was launched on Thursday in the public hospitals of Tibnin and Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, under the auspices of the Minister of Health in the caretaker government, Hamad Hassan.

In the North, the Batroun Hospital received a quantity of vaccines against the Covid-19 from the Ministry of Health and began the vaccination campaign with the medical staff, including doctors and nurses.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rasi Governmental Hospital in Halba - Akkar, also launched its vaccination drive on Thursday, in line with a unified protocol that follows the priorities set by the Ministry of Health and the Medical Committee to combat the Corona virus.

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