Dubai: Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced 1,517 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Friday, taking the overall number of confirmed infections to 76,588, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, one more death has been confirmed while 1,965 COVID-19 patients have fully recovered, bringing the total death toll to 70 and total recovered cases in Qatar to 53,296.
The statement said that a total of 14 new cases have been admitted to intensive care due to health complications resulting from infection with the virus, bringing the total number of cases currently in intensive care to 229.
The ministry stressed that there has been a small decrease in patients being admitted to intensive care thanks to the measures taken by the Ministry and the concerned authorities to limit the spread of the virus, the most important of them being the early detection of the virus which contributes significantly to reducing the severity of infection.
The ministry stated most of the cases are recorded among expatriate workers who were infected with the virus as a result of being in contact with individuals who were previously infected. The new cases have been identified through track and trace team at the Ministry.
The latest cases have been placed under complete isolation in various medical facilities, where they receive necessary healthcare according to the health status of each case.
The ministry confirmed that Qatar had succeeded in flattening the rate of increase of the COVID-19 cases thereby reducing the impact of the virus by a large percentage thanks to the implementation of bans, the preventive measures taken, and the awareness and cooperation of all members of society.
Qatar will start lifting coronavirus restrictions in its cities under a four-phase plan starting on June 15, when some mosques will be allowed to reopen, government spokeswoman Lulwa Rashed Al Khater said on Monday.
She told a news conference that the second phase of easing the lockdown would start on July 1, the third on August 1 and the fourth on September 1.
The second phase will allow a partial opening of restaurants and the third will permit the resumption of flights from low-risk countries and the reopening of shopping malls and markets with limited capacity. The fourth will allow wedding parties, business gatherings such as exhibitions, and the reopening of theaters and cinemas, she said.
