Qatar is successfully managing the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, HE the Spokesperson of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohamed AlKhater has said.
At a press conference Monday evening she gave a presentation on Covid-19 management in the country and reassured all about the safety and efficacy of the approach adopted.
“The recent increase in the number of virus infections is linked to an increase in the number of tests, and the adoption of a proactive screening approach with a view to discovering transitional strings and this is a healthy indicator in the first place,” she asserted.
“The increase in the number of cases is a natural indicator of the ability of the health system to manage the crisis and contain cases as quickly as possible.
"One of the important indicators is the ability of the health system in Qatar to deal with cases, while many developed countries could not cope with the cases and contain the virus."
She stressed that the most important aspect in combating Covid-9 is the commitment of the people to follow the preventive and precautionary measures and warned that complacency may prolong the crisis.
HE AlKhater reiterated that the increase in the number of cases in recent times is an indication of the efficiency of the surveillance mechanism in Qatar.
“The Ministry of Public Health does not conduct tests randomly, but through a dedicated team for search, which is the effective factor in curbing the virus spread.
"Some countries do not conduct proactive checks, but rather discover cases when patients go to hospitals after symptoms appear. This means that there are cases that have not been discovered yet.
“Conducting accurate proactive checks is important to discover cases early and not wait until symptoms appear in patients.
“Qatar is among the top countries in terms of the number of tests in relation to the population reaching about 20,200 per million people, whereas in leading countries such as Singapore it is 16,000 per million and in Hong Kong 17,500 per million of the population.”
HE AlKhater assured that the pace of the tests are continuing and called for avoidance of inaccurate calculations and misreading the indicators and numbers of the tests.
"There is a scientific approach for conducting tests in Qatar, which is similar to what is going on in the leading countries in this regard."
Virus cases among Qataris 'stable'
The number of Covid-19 cases among Qataris is relatively stable after the spike on two consecutive days during late March, HE the Spokesperson of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohamed AlKhater said.
“Many of the cases (among Qataris) were mainly related to contacts within the same family and because of family visits.
“As many as 74% of the cases are among those in quarantine with only the rest found in the community, indicating that the health system has succeeded in containing the virus and limiting its spread thanks to the pre-emptive plans of the Ministry of Public Health,” she said.
There are 72 cases in intensive care currently whereas 52 patients have left intensive care. As many as 89% of the total Covid-19 cases in Qatar are among males. Among Qataris, 66.47% of those infected are males while among expatriates, as many as 89.9% of the patients are males.
The figures presented by HE AlKhater indicated that 36% of cases were in the age group of 25 to 34 years, 29% in the 35 to 44 age group, 14% in the 45 to 54 years category, 11% in the 15 to 24 years age group, 5% in 55 to 64 years category, 2% percent each in the category over 64 years and between five and 14 years, and just 1% between the ages of zero and four years.
Regarding recovered cases, the top official said as many as 80% are males, in line with the fact that most of the patients are males as well.
“The recent increase in the number of virus infections is linked to an increase in the number of tests, and the adoption of a proactive screening approach with a view to discovering transitional strings and this is a healthy indicator in the first place,” she asserted.
“The increase in the number of cases is a natural indicator of the ability of the health system to manage the crisis and contain cases as quickly as possible.
"One of the important indicators is the ability of the health system in Qatar to deal with cases, while many developed countries could not cope with the cases and contain the virus."
She stressed that the most important aspect in combating Covid-9 is the commitment of the people to follow the preventive and precautionary measures and warned that complacency may prolong the crisis.
HE AlKhater reiterated that the increase in the number of cases in recent times is an indication of the efficiency of the surveillance mechanism in Qatar.
“The Ministry of Public Health does not conduct tests randomly, but through a dedicated team for search, which is the effective factor in curbing the virus spread.
"Some countries do not conduct proactive checks, but rather discover cases when patients go to hospitals after symptoms appear. This means that there are cases that have not been discovered yet.
“Conducting accurate proactive checks is important to discover cases early and not wait until symptoms appear in patients.
“Qatar is among the top countries in terms of the number of tests in relation to the population reaching about 20,200 per million people, whereas in leading countries such as Singapore it is 16,000 per million and in Hong Kong 17,500 per million of the population.”
HE AlKhater assured that the pace of the tests are continuing and called for avoidance of inaccurate calculations and misreading the indicators and numbers of the tests.
"There is a scientific approach for conducting tests in Qatar, which is similar to what is going on in the leading countries in this regard."
Virus cases among Qataris 'stable'
The number of Covid-19 cases among Qataris is relatively stable after the spike on two consecutive days during late March, HE the Spokesperson of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohamed AlKhater said.
“Many of the cases (among Qataris) were mainly related to contacts within the same family and because of family visits.
“As many as 74% of the cases are among those in quarantine with only the rest found in the community, indicating that the health system has succeeded in containing the virus and limiting its spread thanks to the pre-emptive plans of the Ministry of Public Health,” she said.
There are 72 cases in intensive care currently whereas 52 patients have left intensive care. As many as 89% of the total Covid-19 cases in Qatar are among males. Among Qataris, 66.47% of those infected are males while among expatriates, as many as 89.9% of the patients are males.
The figures presented by HE AlKhater indicated that 36% of cases were in the age group of 25 to 34 years, 29% in the 35 to 44 age group, 14% in the 45 to 54 years category, 11% in the 15 to 24 years age group, 5% in 55 to 64 years category, 2% percent each in the category over 64 years and between five and 14 years, and just 1% between the ages of zero and four years.
Regarding recovered cases, the top official said as many as 80% are males, in line with the fact that most of the patients are males as well.
