HEALTH

Tension As World Bank Threatens Lebanon

Tension as World Bank dangles embargo on Lebanon &NewLine;<a href="https&colon;//openlife&period;ng/">OpenLife Nigeria</a> reports that there is tension as World Bank has threatened to stop funding COVID-19 vaccines after reported violations by the government of Lebanon&period; &NewLine;According to available information to this online medium, the <a href="https&colon;//openlife&period;ng/">World Bank</a> threatened to suspend financing for Lebanon’s COVID-19 vaccination drive in its second week after it emerged that some lawmakers would get their shots in parliament on Tuesday&period; &NewLine;The comments from the World Bank came as frustration grew among some residents and doctors that vaccinations were moving slowly and could be riddled with violations&period; &NewLine;Lebanon received its first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine &&num;8211&semi; about 28,000 doses &&num;8211&semi; this month with aid from the World Bank, which said it would monitor to ensure the shots go to those most in need&period; &NewLine;In its first operation funding the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, the World Bank reallocated &dollar;34 million to help Lebanon start vaccinations&period; &NewLine;The bank has warned against favoritism in a country where decades of state waste and corruption triggered a dire financial meltdown&period; &NewLine;After local media reported that some MPs would get their COVID-19 shots on Tuesday, the World Bank’s regional director, Saroj Kumar Jha, said that would breach the national plan agreed for fair vaccination&period; &NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Upon confirmation of violation, World Bank may suspend financing for vaccines and support for COVID19 response across Lebanon&excl;&excl;” he wrote on Twitter&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I appeal to all, I mean all, regardless of your position, to please register and wait for your turn&period;” &NewLine;The health ministry has sought to dispel fears that politicians would jump the queue&period; It did not immediately respond to a request for comment&period; &NewLine;An MP said current and retired lawmakers over 75-years-old, as well as some administrative staff, were getting vaccinated in the parliament hall&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;What’s the big deal&quest; They’re over 75 and registered,” he said&period; &NewLine;Charaf Abou Charaf, head of Lebanon’s doctors syndicate, had urged more transparency earlier on Tuesday and said there were &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;many violations” without giving a figure&period; &NewLine;He said people who did not have priority or were not registered had received vaccines while some medical workers and elderly Lebanese still waited&period; &NewLine;Hospitals, hammered by Lebanon’s financial crisis and last year’s port explosion, have fought some of the region’s highest infection rates since January&period; The surge took Lebanon’s death toll over 4,300&period;&NewLine;

Openlife Reporter