DISCHARGE of 121 individuals from quarantine yesterday was a positive news everyone was waiting for after the unexpected increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported a day before. These 121 individuals, who were evacuated from Iran in a chartered plane, were shifted to quarantine immediately after they arrived in the country and closely monitored by the healthcare professionals for any symptoms and underwent three tests to confirm that they are virus-free. A few persons from the group were found with the coronavirus and were shifted to the Communicable Disease Center at the Hamad Medical Corporation and is being treated in isolation. The officials, while briefing the media, had said that they are all recovering well and are in stable condition.
They are expected to be discharged soon. The recent report of 238 new cases was not on expected lines as before that Qatar had only a few cases and this sudden surge in numbers showed that this strain of virus spreads unlike earlier viruses. The country has put in many measures to control the spreading of the coronavirus such as stopping services of Doha Metro, public buses and closing children’s play area for a few day to name a few. The Ministry of Public Health has urged people to follow precautionary measure like washing hands often. There is a lot we could be careful about such as avoiding crowded places and making sure to use a proper sanitiser or washing hands for at least 20 seconds before eating or after returning from a public place. More importantly avoid travel if not essential and report to a medical facility if you develop any of the symptoms. World Health Organization said yesterday that the new coronavirus outbreak is a controllable pandemic if all countries step up measures to tackle it. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said earlier that the global outbreak of the new coronavirus could now be considered a pandemic -- a disease actively spreading globally.
“To save lives we must reduce transmission. That means finding and isolating as many cases as possible and quarantining their closest contacts,” he said. Qatar has set in motion procedures for treating positive cases as they come and is also quarantining people who came in contact with those who were tested positive to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community. As global community is fighting the outbreak with all their might, let us hope a treatment will be found soon to tackle the COVID-19. E
