QATAR’S strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 260,000 people worldwide, has been very effective. It’s mortality rate of 0.06 percent — 12 deaths out of 18,890 confirmed cases to date — is the lowest among the countries with major outbreaks. Experts have attributed this low mortality rate to Qatar’s efficient and well-equipped healthcare system and the country’s timely action and well-coordinated response to the outbreak. The healthcare network of Qatar, home to a large expatriate population, has also been lauded by the foreign diplomats and the UN representatives for providing quality healthcare to all, and discriminating against no one. The outbreak is currently passing through the peak phase in Qatar and the region, with thousands of new cases reported in recent weeks. Health authorities in Qatar have also expanded contacttracing and testing. More than 116,495 people have so far been tested for COVID-19 in the country.
The coronavirus testing is set to expand further as the Ministry of Public Health has embarked on conducting hundreds of random tests in various areas to assess the spread of the virus in the community. In the first phase, the Ministry is conducting 2,500 random, drive-through tests at three health centers. People from different age, gender and ethnic groups are being tested under the initiative which will help inform policy decisions in the fight against COVID-19. This will also help detect asymptomatic cases. The authorities also opened a drive-through COVID-19 testing facility last month. More than 2,200 people have already fully recovered from the infection, while majority of the active cases are stable and in good condition. With increased testing and stringent preventive measures adopted by the public and private sectors, health officials are confident to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread very soon. As part of the national efforts against the pandemic, authorities have put special emphasis on protection of migrant workers in the country, both from the COVID-19 infection and the negative economic effects of the global health crisis.
Representatives of expat communities, international labour leaders as well as labour attaches of a number of countries have praised the efforts by the Qatari authorities to safeguard the interests of migrant workers in the country. Parts of the Industrial Area, where a large number of workers live and work and where several streets had been closed to prevent the spread of the virus, reopened on Wednesday after weeks of sterilization campaign and health checks, signifying the effectiveness of Qatar’s strategy against COVID-19.
