The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Sunday announced 1,189 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, as many as 254 new recovered cases, and one death in the last 24 hours. The total number of recovered cases in Qatar now stands at 2,753.

In a statement, the Ministry explained that most of the new cases are expatriate workers infected with the virus as a result of contact with individuals who have been previously infected, in addition to recording new cases from within groups of workers from various regions. These cases have been identified as a result of investigations carried out by the Ministry.

The MoPH noted that there was also an increase in the number of infections among citizens and residents who had contact with Covid-19-positive family members, who had in turn been infected at the workplace or other locations.

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All the new infected cases have been quarantined where they are receiving the necessary medical care, MoPH has stressed.

The ministry said that the new death was a 54-year-old resident receiving medical care in the Intensive Care Unit and suffering from chronic diseases. The MoPH offered sincere condolences and great sympathy to the family of the deceased.

The statement also pointed out that the MoPH has launched a community study to learn more about how the virus is transmitted within the community and gain more understanding of cases of infection that do not show symptoms of the disease.

Through the use of drive through testing centres, invited participants complete a questionnaire. Last week, tests were conducted for 2,500 people who received an invitation to participate in the community questionnaire, which aims to better understand the transmission of the virus in the community and thus adapt the response of stakeholders.

This study is expected to continue during the coming period, and the Ministry encouraged people who receive an invitation to respond and participate in this initiative in order to contribute to the national efforts to combat the virus and to understand more about the epidemiology of transmission of infection between members of society.

The MoPH noted that the current period is considered to be the peak stage in the virus outbreak when numbers may continue to rise before they begin to stabilise and then gradually decline.

It added that the high numbers of new cases are due to the Ministry’s redoubling of its efforts in tracking the transitional chains of the virus and expanding the circle of searching for infected people through intensive and proactive investigations of large numbers of contacts with people who have been confirmed with the virus recently.

The MoPH noted that the number of daily tests it conducts on people depends primarily on the number of contacts with individuals confirmed to be infected with the virus, as it conducts random checks in different places of the country as a proactive measure. The number of tests performed daily is not linked to the number of cases detected in terms of any rise or fall, the MoPH added.

According to the MoPH, with a total of 3,215 people tested for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, as many as 127,769 have been tested so far in Qatar.

There are 22,520 positive cases to date in Qatar and 19,753 currently undergoing treatment. The total number of Covid-19 deaths so far in Qatar is 14.

The MoPH renewed its call for all members of the community to stay at home and not go out except in cases of necessity and to implement preventive measures and maintain physical distancing, including in the workplace and public places. The Ministry reminded people to use a face mask as recommended and avoid social visits to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.

The MoPH also urged the public to visit its website regularly to view the latest information and instructions related to Covid-19.

 

Last updated: May 10 2020 06:14PM

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