Dubai: Qatar has confirmed 687 new cases of COVID-19, while two patients have died and another 64 have recovered.
According to the Ministry of Public Health and Prevention, the latest cases were detected after conducting more than 3,226 tests in the last 24 hours, taking the total tests done so far to 97,726.
This brings the total number of cases diagnosed in the country to 14,096 while there have been 1,436 recoveries and 12 deaths so far.
The ministry revealed that most of the new cases are among expatriate workers who have been infected with the virus as a result of contact with previously infected individuals.
The remainder of new cases infected with the virus have come from citizens and residents who have contracted the virus from members of their families, who in turn had contracted the virus through their workplaces or other places where they got exposed to infected people.
All the new cases have been quarantined and are receiving the necessary medical care. The ministry stated that most of the COVID-19 cases are experiencing only mild symptoms.
The ministry noted that the two new deaths were of residents – a 96 year old and a 40 year old patient. Both were receiving intensive care and suffered from chronic diseases.
The Ministry of Public Health stresses that over the current period the number of positive cases is expected to fluctuate for several reasons, including the fact that the outbreak of the virus is considered to be entering into the peak stage, after which the number of infections will begin to decrease gradually.
This is in addition to the fact that the ministry has further stepped up its efforts in tracking coronavirus transmission chains and expanded the search for infected people by conducting extensive and proactive tests of groups of contacts with people who have been confirmed with the disease previously. The number of tests carried out will always depend on the number of contacts a positive patient has had which therefore has an impact on the number of positive cases reported daily.
Also, many of the recorded cases experience mild symptoms and do not require any medical intervention, but are quarantined and given access to medical care and support. However, it is important to continue to remember that COVID-19 can be severe for the elderly as well as those with chronic diseases.