Qatar Friday reports 602 new Covid-19 cases, one death, 358 recoveries

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Friday reported 602 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 during the last 24 hours, of which 499 were community cases and 103 travellers returning from abroad. The MoPH also reported the death of patient aged 49, who were receiving the necessary medical care. Further, the ministry recorded 358 recoveries from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries in Qatar to 162173. MoPH said during the past 24 hours 22665  Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered, taking the total number of doses given since the start of the programme to 701943. Every day, hundreds of people are becoming sick due to the Covid-19 with many requiring admission to hospital to manage their symptoms. Since February 1, the number of people with Covid-19 admitted to hospital has doubled. Qatar's strict quarantine policy for returning travellers enabled it to delay the introduction of new variants into this country for several months but it is now seeing positive Covid-19 cases in the region and in Qatar with the new variants from the United Kingdom. This new variant is much more contagious and spreads more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of disease. The good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in our vaccination program are effective against the new variants. The pace of the vaccination programme means that there is finally hope of a gradual return to normal for us here in Qatar and people around the world. But this will not happen in the next few weeks or months. Covid-19 will continue to be a threat to our health for the majority of 2021 and until all eligible members of our population have been vaccinated, we must continue to follow the preventive measures. With the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Qatar, it is important for everyone to play their role in controlling the virus by following precautionary measures: *Adherence to physical distancing. *Avoiding close contact with others, crowded places and confined closed spaces where other people congregate. *Wearing a face mask. *Washing hands regularly. Anyone suffering from Covid-19 symptoms should contact 16000 helpline immediately. This is important as the earlier the disease is detected the easier it will be to receive the right treatment and recover from it. One can visit the MoPH website for regular updates and new information.