BEIRUT, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant reached 8 in Lebanon, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said on Tuesday.
Abiad noted that his ministry suspects the presence of 16 additional Omicron cases arriving from African countries, Britain, Spain, Turkey, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the National News Agency reported.
"This indicates the spread of Omicron in several countries and it is only a matter of time until this variant spreads widely in Lebanon," he said after a meeting for the COVID-19 ministerial committee, headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Abiad said that he will be coordinating with the tourism ministry to implement strict measures in restaurants and other public places during the festive season, especially since hospitals in Lebanon are not well equipped for the new wave of COVID-19 amid the current financial crisis.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Lebanon increased on Tuesday by 1,474 to reach 692,315, while the death toll from the virus went up by 13 cases to 8,873. Enditem
