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Tribune News Network
Doha
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has reached its peak in the region, including Qatar, a senior Ministry of Public Health official has said.
Explaining the reason behind the spike in new COVID-19 positive cases, Dr Abdullatif al Khal, Co-Chair of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee, said the virus has already reached its peak in Qatar and the Ministry of Public Health has been carrying out tests in an extensive way.
He said the increase in the number of confirmed new cases is due to the ministry's success in tracking the transitional chains of the virus and expanding the surveillance process.
“If any case is discovered, then all of his contacts are examined, whether in housing or at work, and this leads to the discovery of new cases and most of the new cases are concentrated in the vicinity of the person who was proven to be infected,” Dr Khal told Qatar TV.
“For example, of the 392 cases that have been discovered, the MoPH collects information from every person about his place of residence and place of work and examines those who are in contact with this person and put them in quarantine,” he said.
Whoever is found to have contact with those who are in contact with the positive case is isolated, and whoever is found not to be infected is placed in quarantine for a period of two weeks, he said.
Dr Khal said, “We expect that in the coming days there will be an increase in the number of positive cases.”
He said there will be about 12,000 beds for isolation by the end of this month -- 500 beds for intensive care and 600 beds for acute cases.
Dr Khal said patients, especially mild cases, need moral support and need to be reassured that their condition is good and that their health condition does not worsen. Those who perform this role are the medical and nursing staff in addition to many volunteers, he added.
Dr Khal pointed out that there is a psychological and social support programme that was launched by Ministry of Public Health in cooperation with several parties. The programme provides psychological and moral support to the people in the quarantine, he added.
Regarding the return of life to normal, he said, “Life will not return to what it was before the emergence of coronavirus. Rather it will return to a different kind and everyone must adapt to the new lifestyle.”
“I expect the new lifestyle to continue for months, that is, until the end of this year or the beginning of the next year or for several years, as experts say these measures need to continue for several years until the emergence of an effective vaccination and the availability of this vaccination in most countries,” he said.
Dr Khal said even with vaccination, there is a possibility that the virus may appear and disappear in waves -- either as seasonal such as winter or throughout the year.
Doha
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has reached its peak in the region, including Qatar, a senior Ministry of Public Health official has said.
Explaining the reason behind the spike in new COVID-19 positive cases, Dr Abdullatif al Khal, Co-Chair of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee, said the virus has already reached its peak in Qatar and the Ministry of Public Health has been carrying out tests in an extensive way.
He said the increase in the number of confirmed new cases is due to the ministry's success in tracking the transitional chains of the virus and expanding the surveillance process.
“If any case is discovered, then all of his contacts are examined, whether in housing or at work, and this leads to the discovery of new cases and most of the new cases are concentrated in the vicinity of the person who was proven to be infected,” Dr Khal told Qatar TV.
“For example, of the 392 cases that have been discovered, the MoPH collects information from every person about his place of residence and place of work and examines those who are in contact with this person and put them in quarantine,” he said.
Whoever is found to have contact with those who are in contact with the positive case is isolated, and whoever is found not to be infected is placed in quarantine for a period of two weeks, he said.
Dr Khal said, “We expect that in the coming days there will be an increase in the number of positive cases.”
He said there will be about 12,000 beds for isolation by the end of this month -- 500 beds for intensive care and 600 beds for acute cases.
Dr Khal said patients, especially mild cases, need moral support and need to be reassured that their condition is good and that their health condition does not worsen. Those who perform this role are the medical and nursing staff in addition to many volunteers, he added.
Dr Khal pointed out that there is a psychological and social support programme that was launched by Ministry of Public Health in cooperation with several parties. The programme provides psychological and moral support to the people in the quarantine, he added.
Regarding the return of life to normal, he said, “Life will not return to what it was before the emergence of coronavirus. Rather it will return to a different kind and everyone must adapt to the new lifestyle.”
“I expect the new lifestyle to continue for months, that is, until the end of this year or the beginning of the next year or for several years, as experts say these measures need to continue for several years until the emergence of an effective vaccination and the availability of this vaccination in most countries,” he said.
Dr Khal said even with vaccination, there is a possibility that the virus may appear and disappear in waves -- either as seasonal such as winter or throughout the year.
