Abou Sharaf: No Side Effects among First Batch Given Covid Vaccine

Head of Beirut's Order of Physicians Sharaf Abou Sharaf assured on Monday that no side effects were experienced by individuals who got the Covid-19 vaccine on the launch of Lebanon’s vaccination program on Sunday.

Abou Sharaf said no complications or side effects experienced from the vaccine were recorded, stressing that the risk of infection is greater than the vaccine which has shown effectiveness in alleviating severe injuries and deaths.

He urged the Lebanese to register their names at the platform set by the Health Ministry to get the vaccine, stressing the need for commitment to preventive measures against the virus.

Lebanon launched its Covid-19 vaccination drive Sunday with jabs for healthcare workers and the elderly, in a bid to rein in the pandemic amid a deepening economic crisis.

The country has been under lockdown since mid-January, after an unprecedented spike in cases blamed on holiday gatherings forced overwhelmed hospitals to turn away patients.

Medical workers and those aged over 75 were the first to receive Pfizer/BioNTech shots at three major Beirut hospitals, a day after a shipment of 28,500 doses arrived at the capital's airport.