Qatari Authorities Say Managed to Prevent 1 Million People From Contracting COVID-19

DOHA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2020) During the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities of Qatar, with a population of 2.5 million, managed to prevent 1 million people from contracting COVID-19 infection thanks to special measures, Abdul Latif Al Khal, the head of the national strategic group on coronavirus response, said during a university seminar.

"Without the imposition of restrictions and measures to preserve public health, the impact of the virus would be so severe that it would cause the collapse of the national healthcare system. As a result of government interference, the peak number of cases was 79 percent lower than it could have been without the measures, and daily admissions to intensive care units reduced by 77 percent," Al Khal said.

"One can only imagine the impact on the healthcare system of Qatar, if a million more people fell ill," he said.

Qatar, despite its small territory and population, has long been among the leaders in the Arab world in terms of the increase in coronavirus cases.

In July, at the peak of the disease in the country, more than 2,000 cases were recorded daily. However, over the past two months, the number of detected cases of the disease does not exceed 300. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 130,000 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Qatar, more than 127,000 have recovered. A total of 225 people have died, which is one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world.