World Bank might suspend financing of vaccines to Lebanon

The World Bank threatened Tuesday to suspend financing for coronavirus vaccines in Lebanon over what it said were violations by members of parliament who were inoculated without registering in advance.

Such a move by the World Bank would have grave consequences as Lebanon struggles through severe financial and economic crises and is in desperate need of aid. The World Bank said last month it approved $34 million to help pay for vaccines for Lebanon that will inoculate over 2 million people. The vaccination campaign in the country began on Feb. 14 and Lebanon has so far received nearly 60,000 shots of Pfizer-BioNTech .

“Everyone has to register and wait for their turn! #nowasta,” the World Bank’s regional director Saroj Kumar Jha tweeted, using a Lebanese term meaning that there should not be nepotism.

Lebanon is notorious for corruption and nepotism, which has brought the Mediterranean nation to bankruptcy.

Parliament’s secretary general Adnan Daher was quoted by state media denying that the 16 legislators had jumped the line, which prioritizes medical workers and residents at least 75 years old. Daher said all of the legislators who received in inoculation had registered and were properly in line.

In January, Lebanon’s government launched a digital coronavirus vaccination registration platform to people living in the tiny nation.

The World Bank and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have signed an agreement for independent monitoring of Lebanon’s coronavirus vaccination campaign.

“There were many violations that took place at vaccination centers,” said Sharaf Abu Sharaf, president of Lebanese Order of Physicians. He added in a statement that violations included vaccinating people who were not registered or not included in the first phase of the campaign.

Abdul Rahman Bizri, who heads the committee supervising the vaccination campaign, was expected to hold a news conference later Tuesday to announce his resignation.

The World Bank “may suspend financing for vaccines and support for COVID19 response across Lebanon!!” Jha tweeted. “I appeal to all, I mean all, regardless of your position, to please register and wait for your turn.”

Jha, the World Bank official, said the vaccination “is not in line with the national plan agreed with @WorldBank and we would record it (as a) breach of terms and conditions agreed with us for fair and equitable vaccination.”

Lebanon, a country of six million people including a million Syrian refugees, has registered more than 356,000 coronavirus cases and 4,387 deaths since the first case was registered in February last year.

Source:: Headlines News4jax

(Visited 3 times, 1 visits today)

USA News Posts - Related Posts:

Mired in crises, Lebanese begin voting for new parliament Lebanese voted for a new parliament Sunday against the backdrop of an economic meltdown that is transforming the country and low expectations that the voting would significantly alter the political landscape. A new crop of candidates from the 2019 protest movement are running against the country’s entrenched ruling class that is blamed for the collapse, hoping to unseat them. But they are divided and lack the money, experience and other advantages held by traditional political rulers. People began casting their…
Ukrainian dug himself out of grave where Russians buried him and his brothers Mykola Kulichenko, 33, was tortured for three days in a basement (Picture: CNN)A Ukrainian man has shared his remarkable survival story after being shot and buried alive by Russian troops. Mykola Kulichenko, 33, was beaten with a metal rod until he lost consciousness, before Putin’s executioners put a gun inside his mouth and pulled the trigger. Next to him in the unmarked woodland grave, near the Belarus border, laid his two brothers, Yevhen and Dmytro. Like him, their legs were…
Storm chasers face host of dangers beyond severe weather The deaths of four storm chasers in car crashes over the last two weeks have underscored the dangers of pursuing severe weather events as more people clog back roads and highways searching for a glimpse of a lightning bolt or tornado, meteorologists and chasers say. Martha Llanos Rodriguez of Mexico City died Wednesday when a semitrailer plowed into her vehicle from behind on Interstate 90 in southwestern Minnesota. The car's driver, Diego Campos, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he…
World shares advance despite losses on Wall Street Shares advanced in Europe and Asia on Tuesday despite mounting doubts over the U.S. economic outlook that gave some benchmarks on Wall Street another day of losses. Signs of progress in China's effort to bring outbreaks of coronavirus under control appeared to be outweighing concern over weaker than expected U.S. and Chinese economic data. Investors also are watching for comments by Federal Reserve officials that might provide insight into the U.S. economic outlook and future policy moves. “Markets remain in…
Lebanon vote seen as last chance in crisis-plagued nation In households across Lebanon, it's likely that one or more family members are planning to emigrate — if they can get a passport. Demand is high but the bankrupt government has not paid the company contracted to issue or renew the documents. Lebanese spend their days at the banks, waiting to see what meager amounts they will be allowed to withdraw for the month. They install batteries and solar panels at great cost so their family can survive the humid…
4 Air Force cadets may not graduate due to vaccine refusal Four cadets at the Air Force Academy may not graduate or be commissioned as military officers this month because they have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and they may be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials. It's the only military academy, so far, where cadets may face such penalties. The Army and Navy said that as of now, none of their seniors are being prevented from graduating at the U.S. Military Academy…
Official: Buffalo gunman had threatened high school shooting By CAROLYN THOMPSON and MICHAEL BALSAMO BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The 18-year-old gunman who authorities say killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket had previously threatened a shooting at his high school and was sent for mental health treatment, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Payton Gendron had appeared on the radar of police last year after he threatened to carry out a shooting at Susquehanna High School around the time of graduation, the official said. New York…
Russia threatens to nuke Britain in four minutes and Finland in 10 seconds State TV has repeatedly threatened to wipe the UK off the map (Picture: EPA/East2West)A senior Putin ally has threatened a nuclear attack that could wipe out Britain in less than four minutes. Aleksey Zhuravlyov, the deputy chairman of the Kremlin’s defence committee, also claimed Finland could be destroyed in 10 seconds with the Satan-2 hypersonic missile and that Russia could crush the Baltic states ‘like peanuts’. The weapon of mass destruction was test-launched by Russia last month, when Putin said…
Eric Clapton, 76, cancels shows due to falling sick with Covid-19 after calling vaccines ‘mass hypnosis’ Eric Clapton has fallen ill with Covid-19 and has been forced to reschedule tour dates (Picture:: Redferns)Eric Clapton has postponed two gigs in Europe after falling sick with Covid-19. The Tears In Heaven singer, 76, was forced to cancel shows in Zurich and Milan, due to take place on May 20 and 21 respectively, as he is ‘suffering’ with the virus. Clapton – who previously described vaccine mandates as ‘mass hypnosis’ – is expected to reschedule the shows for later…
Fed nominee Michael Barr calls inflation 'far too high' President Joe Biden's pick to be the Federal Reserve's top banking regulator pledged Thursday to help reduce high inflation and provide “clear rules” to govern financial innovation. “I strongly believe that inflation is far too high today and I’m committed to bringing it down to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%," Michael Barr told members of the Senate Banking Committee, which is considering his nomination. Inflation has soared to 8.3%, near a 40-year high, with the cost of items like…