Hassan: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine in Lebanon in February

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said Monday that Lebanon is expected to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine “not later than February 2021” if the vaccine gets adopted.

"If the vaccine gets regulatory approval in its final form, Lebanon will receive it within a period not later than mid-February,” media reports quoted Hassan as saying.

He said Lebanon began “early talks” with the multinational pharmaceutical corporation, which “allowed it to be among the first countries that will get the vaccine at a competitive price.”

On any financial obstacle preventing Lebanon from getting the vaccine, Hassan said: “There is no financial problem, taking into consideration the possibility that the World Bank would increase the amounts of money transferred from the loan to cover the expenses.”

The Minister said that 15 percent of the Lebanese will get vaccinated, prioritizing seniors in the first stage.

Although Lebanon is currently under a two-week lockdown that will end on November 30, the Minister said more “people are testing positive for the virus.”

“Nine days into the lockdown, the ratio of people retracting the viruses is still considerably high,” said Hassan, hoping to see a decline in positive cases in the second week.