Dubai: A three-week-old baby has died from COVID-19 in Qatar, the country’s health ministry confirmed yesterday, reporting a rare child fatality from the illness in the Gulf country.
This is only the second child in Qatar to have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said that the baby had no known medical or hereditary conditions.
The ministry said that although children have been less at risk of severe infection than older people since the start of the pandemic, a greater number of children are being infected in this current wave and needing medical care than in previous waves.
The ministry said the death of the baby is a stark reminder that people of all ages are at risk of being infected with COVID-19, and despite being rare, most countries around the world have recorded deaths among young children.
Qatar has officially recorded almost 300,000 cases of coronavirus and around 600 deaths, from 2.6 million residents.
Cases have surged in recent weeks, and in late December Qatar’s main health care provider suspended leave for all medical and administrative staff dealing with COVID-19 cases.
