Head of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital Firass Abiad on Monday warned against the coronavirus situation in Lebanon, namely after the new Delta variant outbreak, deeming vaccination alone as not enough.

“Vaccination alone is not efficient in fighting the virus. The proof is what is happening in other countries such as Britain, where the percentage of people who received both doses of the vaccine reached 65%, while the percentage in Lebanon is approximately 11%,” Abiad told Kataeb.org website.

"We are no longer in the warning stage, as the wave has reached Lebanon, and this is something that everyone should be aware of,” he said.

Abiad called on the Lebanese people to take precaution measures and not to consider the virus as if nothing had happened, saying that the huge numbers of incoming infections without any restraint are not a good thing.

“It is clear that the Delta mutant spreads faster than the rest of the mutants, but it is not clear whether it is more contagious so far,” he added.

“People should avoid public gathering and overcrowded places in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, namely young men and women who haven’t take the vaccine yet,” he noted.

Abiad announced that there are two ways to diagnose whether the person is infected with the Delta variant, saying that both methods will show efficient results.

“The first way is to conduct an accurate analysis which is called “genomic sequence”, but unfortunately it is not yet available in Lebanon,” he said, noting that talks are being held between the Lebanese American University in Beirut and a laboratory abroad so as to prepare for its preparation.

“The second way to detect the virus would be through examining the level of the Antigen in the body which could be a sign of Delta infection,” he added.