The health authorities have reaffirmed the preventive measures taken to protect the public from novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
A joint social media campaign by the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) emphasised on the steps Qatar has taken so far to curb the spread of COVID-19.
A post shared by HMC on its social media pages shows the steps taken by the authorities to protect the population from COVID-19 such as robust thermal screening procedures and special clinic at Hamad International Airport, establishing a quarantine facility, training for healthcare workers among others.
It says that robust thermal screening procedures are in place at Hamad International Airport and seaports for passengers entering Doha from all countries.
The screening helps to identify passengers with fever, one of the common symptoms of COVID-19.
Also, a special clinic at Hamad International Airport has been set up to conduct interviews and examinations of all suspected travellers at the airport. The Ministry of Public Health has also established residential accommodation for those people who meet the quarantine criteria.
Additional training is being provided for healthcare workers, measures for infection prevention and control and laboratory procedures have been strengthened.
A community awareness campaign is ongoing through a dedicated national website, TV and radio interviews with medical experts, regular social media messaging, and newspaper coverage.
The campaign is held in different languages including Arabic, English, Hindi, Malayalam, French and Chinese.
The Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control teams have been engaged in regular active surveillance visits to hospitals and intensive care units to ensure that no suspected cases of respiratory infections are missed in accordance with the WHO guidelines.
The MoPH has announced so far a diagnosis of eight cases of COVID-19, and they were among those were evacuated from Iran on a government-chartered plane on February 27 and have been under full quarantine since they arrived in the country.
Also, the MoPH has set up a dedicated call centre to answer all questions and enquiries related to COVID-19. Public and health professionals can call 24x7 on 16000 toll free hotline for enquiries. For information on novel coronavirus, one can visit www.moph.gov.qa or call the 24 hrs hotline 16000, said the PHCC statement.
Meanwhile, the MoPH in a social media campaign together with the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation recently clarified the use of a medical mask to prevent the disease and said that it should only be worn if a healthcare professional recommends it.
Separately, Dr Jassim Fakhro, Consultant Surgeon at HMC, in a video recently clarified that the risk of COVID-19 spreading is very low in the country. “The precautions taken by MoPH are up to international standards,” he said. In precaution, he said, “Keep washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after sneezing and before eating. Try to avoid contact with sick people, cover your nose and mouth if you sneeze or cough with tissue and throw the tissue.”
