Doha: Qatar, like more than 70 countries around the world and in the region, is now seeing many cases of the new variant from the UK. This new UK variant does not cause different symptoms in infected people, but it is much more highly transmissible and can therefore increase the rate of spread of the virus though the community, Ministry of Public Health said.
Due to this highly transmissible element, the UK variant has contributed to the recent significant increase in cases in Qatar.
As we announced two weeks ago, despite the best efforts to prevent the introduction of new variants into the country. we, like many countries in the region and around the world, are now seeing many cases in Qatar of the new variant from the UK, Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Chairman of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee, had said at press conference recently.
Clinical evidence appears to now show that the UK variant can cause more severe illness, meaning that people infected with the UK variant are more likely to get very sick, require hospitalization and, sadly, have more chance of dying due to serious complications from the virus.
“One of the characteristics of the strain coming from the United Kingdom is that patients experience more severe complications than before and stay for longer periods in the hospital,” , Dr Ahmed al-Mohamed, Acting Chairman of HMC's Intensive Care Units had said at the same press conference.
The two COVID-19 vaccines being used in Qatar - Pfizer/ BioN Tech and Moderna - have both been shown to be effective at preventing severe symptoms due to the UK variant.
The most effective way to protect yourself and control the spread of the virus is to:
1-Take the COVID-19 vaccine.
2-Adhere to all the COVID-19 precautionary and protective measures.
“We are in the midst of the second wave of Coronavirus and the new strain is more severe and this requires cooperation, solidarity and commitment to precautionary measures,” Dr Al Mohamed added.
