Qatar has shown promising outcomes in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 with a steady number of people recovering from the disease, said Dr. Salih Ali Al Marri, Assistant Minister for Health Affairs at the Ministry of Public Health, yesterday.
He also said that Qatar is “happy to participate in international vaccine trials” against COVID-19. He was speaking at a special online edition of Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series, in collaboration with the World Innovation Summit for Health. The webinar was titled ‘Flattening the Curve: Global Responses to COVID-19’.
“Though we have 3,428 cases, it’s really worth mentioning that we have really promising outcomes including a very good recovery percentage, zero mortality in the past 48 hours, and very strong governance structure, all together to flatten the curve the government is working with local stake holders under a very strong leadership in line with WHO guidelines,” said Al Marri.
“Working together is the key to success, and what is important is the way our community is adhering to the measures that have been put in place in Qatar,” he added.
Providing a Qatar-based context to the discussion with international healthcare leaders, Dr. Al Marri, said, “The heroes are not only those in the frontline, such as healthcare professionals, but also those within our community – the individuals and the families who abide by handwashing and social distancing guidelines. People have made tremendous efforts and our very clear message to everyone is that we trust them to adhere to these guidelines.”
He also said: “There is a challenge with Ramadan approaching, and the psychological impact of people having to stay at home and do things they would not usually do. But we have created platforms to support people, and I hope that by encouraging people to approach Ramadan with a different mindset, they can see it as an opportunity to experience it in a different way.”
