The extensive vaccination drive has helped greatly in bringing down significantly the COVID-19 infection cases in intensive care units (ICUs) during third wave fuelled by Omicron compared to those taken to ICUs in the first wave, said a health official.
“About 100 cases admitted to ICU during the third wave compared to over 300 cases which were admitted to ICU in the first wave,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Mohammed, Acting Chairman of HMC’s Intensive Care Units.
Speaking to Qatar TV yesterday, he said that 650 cases were admitted in acute units of hospitals in the current wave compared to 3,000 cases of acute condition recorded in the first wave.
“The figures indicate the difference between the first wave and the last wave which is due to vaccination,” said Dr. Al Mohammed. Speaking about the treatment of COVID-19 patients, he said that treatment protocol is being updated according to the latest developments in the cure of COVID-19 patients.
“Some new medicines found effective against COVID-19 infection recently. So we are keen to bring these medicines one by one to Qatar,” said Dr. Al Mohammed.
However, he said, the cases which need ICU admissions are being given all necessary assistance such as oxygen, respiratory devices, enough beds to accommodate the cases during the third wave.
“The vaccines prevented from severe infection of COVID-19. The most important treatment is vaccine which prevents from severe infections and hospitals’ admissions. The patient succumbs to COVID-19 pandemic when they are infected severely damaging both lungs and other body parts,” said Dr. Al Mohammed.
He stressed that prevention is better than cure which could be obtained only through full vaccination.
To a question about the infection among children during the third wave, he said that most of the children who needed hospitals entered in acute unit rather than ICUs.
“Very little number of children were taken to ICUs. Most of the people who were admitted to ICUs were elderly and those with chronic diseases because of severe infection. Majority of them were not fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Al Mohammed.
Meanwhile, analysis of COVID-19 patients admitted to Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) since December 15, 2021 shows that unvaccinated patients are eight times more likely to need admission to ICU due to severe COVID-19 infection than those who are fully vaccinated, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said in a statement.
The analysis also showed that partially vaccinated patients — those who only received one dose or received their second dose more than six months ago and no booster dose — had some degree of protection, but significantly less than fully vaccinated patients.
Partially vaccinated patients were three times less likely than unvaccinated patients to be admitted to ICU, but two and a half times more likely to be admitted than fully vaccinated patients.
Dr. Ahmed Al Mohammed, Acting Chairman of HMC’s Intensive Care Units, said the review of ICU data confirms what his clinical teams witness on a daily basis. “In our intensive care units at HMC we treat the most severely ill patients, some of which require mechanical ventilation to support their breathing.
For myself and my team it is heartbreaking to see people fighting for their lives and to know that they could have avoided this with one simple action – getting vaccinated. Please, if you are not yet vaccinated, act now to protect yourself.”
Qatar’s population has responded very positively to the roll out of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program, and more than 5.8 million doses, including over 800,000 booster doses, have been safely administered.
