Lebanon has extended its nationwide quarantine for another two weeks to stem the unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, AFP reported.

Strict restrictions include a 24-hour curfew and restrict grocery purchases before home delivery. Complete isolation has been extended until 5:00 am on February 8, the Supreme Defense Council said in a statement.

Initially, complete isolation was to last from 14 to 25 January. But daily infection rates remain exceptionally high, and the death toll from Covid-19 is on the rise.

The health ministry said that 64 people have died in the last 24 hours.

The authorities have called on hospitals to increase the number of beds for COVID-19 patients. According to the World Health Organization, intensive care units are nearly full, with occupancy rates of 91 percent nationwide and over 97 percent in Beirut.

Since February 2020, Lebanon has recorded 264,647 COVID-19 cases and 2,084 deaths.

Lebanon expects to receive the first vaccines next month. The World Bank said Thursday it has allocated $ 34 million for vaccines for over two million people in Lebanon.

These vaccines will be delivered by early February.

Lebanon said it has signed an agreement with Pfizer to import more than two million vaccines starting in February, besides the 2.7 million Covax program created to ensure equal access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide.

The government and the private sector are also working to get another two million doses.