*889,202 Covid-19 vaccine doses administered so far; 21,993 doses given in the past 24 hours
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) reported on Saturday 870 new confirmed cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) during the last 24 hours, of which 748 were from community and 122 from travellers returning from abroad.
The MoPH also recorded 468 recoveries from the virus during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases recovered in Qatar to 165,471.
The ministry reported three new deaths of people aged 49, 71, and 76, who were receiving the necessary medical care.
The health ministry said 889,202 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the national vaccination programme. Of this 21,993 doses were given in the past 24 hours.
It said hundreds of people are becoming sick daily due to Covid-19 with many requiring admission to hospital. Since February 1, the number of people with Covid-19 admitted to hospital has doubled.
Although Qatar is enforcing strict quarantine policy for returning travellers the country is now seeing positive Covid-19 cases with new variants from the United Kingdom. The new variant is much more contagious and can spread more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of disease.
However, the good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in Qatar's vaccination programme are effective against the new variants.
The MoPH said the pace of the vaccination programmes is holding out hope of a gradual return to normality for people in Qatar and around the world. "But this will not happen in the next few weeks or months."
It said Covid-19 will continue to be a threat to health for the best part of 2021 and until all eligible members of the population are vaccinated, one 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 may visit the MoPH website for regular updates and new information.
