Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has said that Lebanon was at risk of losing control over the coronavirus outbreak after a rise in the number of cases following the explosion in Beirut on Aug 4.

Cases doubled in the two weeks following the blast as infections spread in hospitals where victims were being treated, medics say. “The number of cases is increasing greatly, and if this continues, we will lose control of this epidemic,” Diab said in a statement issued by the Supreme Defence Council.

According to Reuters, Lebanon registered 557 new Covid-19 infections and one death. It had registered a record 12 deaths the previous day.