UNIFIL announced on Monday the first recorded case of Corona infection among its forces, with one of its soldiers contracting the virus.
Andrea Tenenti, UNIFIL spokesperson, said that all precautions were taken to prevent the spread of the virus, adding that the soldier was on leave and returned on March 15. The patient was immediately quarantined and is now isolated at the UNIFIL hospital in Lebanon's Naqoura.
Four other soldiers, who were in direct contact with the infected soldier, were put in quarantine. Tests were done on all four, with three testing negative. UNIFIL is still waiting for the result of the fourth soldier.
The Ministry of Health announced, in its daily report, that the number of laboratory-confirmed cases at Rafik Hariri University Hospital and accredited university hospital laboratories increased to 256.
Later in the evening, the National Disaster Management Operations Room announced that the number of cases rose to 267, indicating that four patients were in a critical condition and eight have fully recovered since Feb. 21.
In remarks, Lebanese Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Hassan said: “80 of 160 beds are vacant in Rafik Hariri University Hospital, dedicated to receive cases of infection by the coronavirus.”
“There is a problem all over the world with medical supplies, and the government is managing the crisis very seriously,” he noted.
