Lebanon starts COVID-19 vaccine rollout

BEIRUT

Lebanon’s national vaccination campaign against the coronavirus pandemic began Sunday.

Mahmoud Hasson, the head of the intensive care unit at the Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, and actor Salah Tizani, 93, received the first shots.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Health Minister Hamad Hassan were present during the inoculation.

"I will not be receiving the vaccine today,” Diab told reporters. “Priority will be given to the medical staff, who have made great sacrifices and they must be given full protection in order to do their message.”

The medical staff and people over 75 will be the first to be vaccinated against the COVID-19.

On Saturday, Lebanon received the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Last month, the Lebanese Health Ministry said it booked 2.1 million of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will be received in stages over the year.

Lebanon has so far confirmed 336,992 virus infections, including 3,961 fatalities.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report