31 August 2020 - The Beirut port blast on 4 August ripped a city to shreds and reopened old wounds for a fragile population already facing civil unrest, an ongoing socio-economic crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The blast killed more than 178 people, left more than 6,500 injured, 300,000 people homeless, and severely damaged critical health infrastructure and medical supplies.
The people of Lebanon are more vulnerable than ever before, with more than 1 million people living below the poverty line and 1.5 million refugees.
WHO is working with partners to help Lebanon. This means providing follow-up care for the injured, making sure everyone has access to basic and life-saving health services, providing mental health support for health workers and communities, rebuilding destroyed hospitals, and controlling COVID-19 by expanding testing and treatment, buying urgently needed medicines, and protecting health care workers.
