The Lebanese authorities expressed gratitude to Russia and President Vladimir Putin for assistance in combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as dealing with the aftermath of the disaster in the port of Beirut, the republic’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan said at an online conference on Thursday, TASS reports.
"It is also necessary to express thanks for the official assistance that Russia and Vladimir Putin personally provided to our country both in terms of the explosion and COVID-19. The hospital that was built with Russia’s help also has been damaged during the blast," the Lebanese health minister noted. "Now, we are highly concerned that the number of [coronavirus] patients in our hospitals should not increase."
The Lebanese government delegation is currently on an official visit to Russia. The Health Minister emphasized that the trip took place in a very challenging and serious period that Lebanon was going through. Hasan thanked the staff of the Russian embassy in Beirut, including Ambassador Alexander Rudakov, Lebanon’s diplomatic mission in Russia and all those who took part in organizing the current Lebanese delegation’s visit.
On February 5, 2021, the Lebanese Health Ministry approved the emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V jab. At the end of the same month, some 20 private firms were granted the right to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies that manufacture COVID-19 drugs. The first batch of the Russian jab was delivered to Beirut from the United Arab Emirates on March 25. Lebanon launched mass vaccination with Sputnik V on March 30.
