MOPH reports 116 Covid-19 cases in Qatar on July 17

Qatar Skyline

Qatar on Saturday recorded 116 new COVID-19 cases — 64 from within the community and 52 among travellers returning from abroad.

The Ministry of Public Health also reported 98 recoveries. With this, the active cases in Qatar edged up to 1,550, while the total recoveries jumped to 221,913.

No new death linked to the virus was reported in the last 24 hours, leaving the total number of deaths so far at 599.

As many as 5,486 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total doses given out so far to 3,503,040.

Current COVID-19 Status

* Every day, hundreds of people are becoming sick due to the COVID-19 with many requiring admission to hospital to manage their symptoms.

*Since 1 February, the number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospital has doubled.

*Qatar's strict quarantine policy for returning travelers enabled us to delay the introduction of new variants into this country for several months but we are now seeing positive COVID-19 cases in the region and in Qatar with the new variants from the United Kingdom.

*This new variant is much more contagious and spread more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of disease

*The good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in our vaccination program are effective against the new variants

*The pace of the vaccination program means that there is finally hope of a gradual return to normal for us here in Qatar and people around the world. But this will not happen in the next few weeks or months.

*COVID-19 will continue to be a threat to our health for the majority of 2021 and until all eligible members of our population have been vaccinated, we must continue to follow the preventive measures.

What You Can Do

*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.

*Visit the MOPH website for regular updates and new information.