Testing for coronavirus now available at HMC

By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff ReporterThe Hamad Medical Corporation’s Virology Laboratory is now fully equipped to test for novel coronavirus and any other suspected cases related to acute respiratory distress syndrome, two senior officials at the Supreme Council of Health yesterday said.Both officials, Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control manager Dr Mohamed al-Hajri and Surveillance and Outbreaks section head Dr Hamad al-Romaihi, were talking to journalists on the sidelines of a one-day “Workshop for Focal Points on Surveillance and Outbreaks Control of Communicable Diseases” organised and co-ordinated between SCH’s Public Health Department (PHD) and Qatar Petroleum HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate (DG).About 70 health representatives from energy and industry sector, police clinics, Qatar Military Medical Services, Qatar University, Qatar Foundation and Aspetar took part in the event held at the Grand Heritage Doha Hotel and Spa.The novel coronavirus (nCoV) was first reported to cause human infection last September.To date, the World Health Organisation, (WHO) has been informed of a global total of 15 confirmed cases of human infection with the virus, which has caused nine deaths including four in Saudi Arabia, two in Jordan and one in the UK.Last year, two people were infected with the virus in Qatar and both survived after receiving intensive treatment abroad.“The HMC Virology Laboratory has started on-site testing for nCoV from December 2012 and to date around 70 patients suspected with the virus tested negative results,” Dr al-Romaihi said.He explained that the tests were carried out retrospectively on 35 patients enrolled in the severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) programme as well as some 35 patients admitted with pneumonia or acute respiratory illness.He added that the PHD has since last November to date, investigated more than 150 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients admitted in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).“We in the SCH are closely monitoring the situation both locally as well as internationally (GCC and worldwide). The updates case definition from the WHO has been shared with all health facilities in the country and all hospitalised cases due to acute respiratory distress syndrome are being followed up,” Dr al-Hajri mentioned.The official explained that the council is also working with the WHO and other partners to better understand the public health risk posed by coronavirus.“Unfortunately, more new cases might need to appear for us to be able to understand the virus…in the meantime, we have provided all needed kits to healthcare facilities here and a guideline they should follow unless there is a new regulation from the WHO,” Dr al-Hajri stated.He explained that an interim surveillance recommendations for human infection with novel coronavirus include a person with acute respiratory infection, who may also have fever (above 38 degrees C) and cough as well as pneumonia, or has travelled from the Arabia Peninsula and or neighbouring countries within last 10 days.Countries considered in the Arabian Peninsula and neighbourhood include Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.The official added that any case that fits into the patient under investigation definition should be managed with respiratory precautions and immediately notified to the SCH’s HP and CDC section on hotline numbers 66740948 or 66740951 or fax – 44070812.Page 22