Lebanon’s residents, 60+ are now receiving their third (booster) dose of Pfizer vaccine after receiving an automated message to register for an appointment (https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/d/news-bulletin-reports/614688/people-aged-60-and-above-to-receive-third-dose-of/en; https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1280090/le-liban-ouvre-la-voie-a-la-troisieme-dose.html). The vaccination registration rate for the first two doses has been of 52.8% (of which 34,1% already got their first dose and 30.1% their second one).
Vaccination is highly encouraged in Lebanon through education. However, it is not mandatory. Bambi is relieved to know that her parents will receive their booster dose tomorrow (as they just turned 60… OK this is meant to make them smile if they are ever reading this post :)).
Sadly for them (and for Bambi), and as shown further below in older posts, they lost many close ones because of the coronavirus. Some of their friends were not as lucky as them. They lost their lives before the development of the vaccines :(. Another loved one chose not to be vaccinated even if he was in a risky age group. Sadly, he died. However, no one ever shamed his family or blamed him for his death, like we sadly are doing in our supposedly more civilized countries. Everyone mourned with his family and keeps asking about his wife who was luckier than him (may she get well soon). May the memory of those who left us/their loved ones be eternal.
As for Lebanon, it is surely a land of contradictions. One one hand, the government is unable to protect its people from ammonium nitrates or from regional forces taking this country in one direction or the other. On the other hand, even without a functional government and without public funds, Lebanese people do receive their vaccines in a timely manner, perhaps even ahead of other wealthier counties. Bravo to all those making this happen. Bravo to the Ministry of Public Health that seems to be operating on its own in its country. Bravo to its good collaboration with all healthcare centres, public and private; all this in awful living conditions (lack of gas, power, etc.).
To conclude this post, it is Bambi’s hope that her birth country will know how to protect its people from large diplomatic crises (especially the current dispute with Gulf countries), not just from tiny viruses.
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Bambi’s earlier posts:
