7 Oct 2020

RHUH, UN in Lebanon Urge Individuals and Sectors to Abide by Preventive Measures to Contain COVID-19 Spread

Rafik Hariri University Hospital, UN Lebanon and partners urge individuals and sectors to abide by preventive measures to contain the alarming spread of the coronavirus

Hospital Director and Corona Team Staff join forces with humanitarian actors to raise awareness of COVID-19

October 7, 2020. Beirut, Lebanon – The Director of Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH), Dr Firass Abiad, together with doctors, nurses and technical staff from the Corona Team, have joined forces with UN Lebanon and partners in sounding the alarm on the disturbing increase of COVID-19 cases in Lebanon, and in urging all individuals and sectors to abide by preventive measures.

“Hospitals in Lebanon will soon reach their full capacity, both in terms of beds in intensive care units and respirators,” said Dr. Abiad. “We can contain the coronavirus, but we must take urgent action. The preventive measures are simple, yet we still see so many people not maintaining safe distances, wearing a mask under their nose, not wearing a mask at all, or telling others that the coronavirus does not exist. Unfortunately, COVID-19 does exist and is infecting over 1,000 people in Lebanon every day. We need to stop it, and we ask people to work with us and help us stop the spread of the virus”, he emphasized.

October 6th, only 20% of ICU beds remained available in Lebanon and 424 people had already lost their lives, out of 46,918 cumulative cases 1]. Social gatherings of all kind, such as weddings, funerals, crowds at bars and restaurants or elsewhere; and public facilities providing essential services – including laboratories, pharmacies, clinics and some hospitals — are places where the risk of spread and infection is high, and preventive measures should be applied by everyone.

Dr. Abiad and sixteen members of the corona team at RHUH have provided video messages to raise awareness of the fact that COVID-19 is real and is affecting people across all age groups in Lebanon. RHUH’s Director, doctor, nurses and technical staff are asking every individual to protect themselves and their families by taking preventive measures.

“We are thankful to the medical teams, doctors, nurses and technical staff for their sustained efforts to stop COVID-19, and especially for putting their lives at risk every day to save the lives of others.” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi. “As we add our voices to theirs, let us ramp up our efforts to ensure the steady engagement of the people. Together, we can turn the tide on this deadly virus by taking preventive measures that will help put an end to the loss of lives, the loss of jobs, the significant disruption of education and the disturbance to our normal life,” she added.

RHUH, UN Lebanon and partners from the government and the civil society will flood their digital platforms with the video awareness messages and recommendations provided by the RHUH team. Raising awareness among the population and the massive promotion of preventive measures and behaviors are part of the UN response to stop COVID-19 through communication and community engagement strategies. The response also includes immediate coordinated response plans and actions to contain the transmission of the virus, such as the provision of technical assistance, health supplies, services and equipment, and capacity-building.

Download the RHUH video messages and disseminate them to fight against COVID-19 in Lebanon –Arabic videos available, English and French versions will be included shortly:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ump4pex47sfb341/AAAgqyHAcpIbG_qldZsVCFS2a?dl=0

Share the videos, follow #StopCOVID #StayHealthy #ItsInOurHands and share the messages that will help families protect themselves and stop the alarming spread of the virus by complying with the preventive measures:

Wash your hands frequently.
Maintain a physical distance of at least one meter.
Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible.
Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Apply additional disinfection and protection measures at home and in the workplace.