It’s the first time daily reported cases have dropped below 100 since last year.
Qatar’s Covid-19 cases have hit below the 100 mark for the first time since October, according to recent statistics by the health ministry.
On Saturday the country reported only 82 new daily infected cases, the lowest since October 23 of last year. Previous days also saw a steady decrease in numbers of infected people, recording a 48% decrease compared to last week.
Meanwhile, the number of people under acute hospital care has fallen to 26 across all Covid facilities in the country, compared to thousands in December. No ICU admissions were also reported since March 2 and none were admitted to the hospital due to Covid-19 for three consecutive days.
To date the Gulf nation has 1,296 active cases. The decline in numbers might be an indication that the battle against the highly infectious Omicron variant has finally come to an end, thanks to Qatar’s high vaccination drive and precautionary measures.
“The support of the community in adhering to the government restrictions and standard COVID-19 precautions, as well as the high vaccination rate, have played a significant role in reaching a plateau of new daily cases,” the ministry stated in its report.
No social distancing in mosques in latest easing of Covid-19 restrictions
Vaccination drive
The country has been armed with a strong vaccination drive that helped it tackle the worst waves of the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, facilities administered around 1,838 doses, taking the number of doses given since the start of the program to 6,474,303.
To date, 88.3 % percent of the total population are fully vaccinated with two doses.
Meanwhile, the roll-out of the booster shot has also played a significant role in controlling infections. Around 1,340,552 people have received the third dose to date, according to health statistics.
In an effort to push people to receive their full doses, the country announced that the immunity from receiving the booster or from recovery has been extended to 12 months.
The decision came after several scientific and clinical evidence indicated that the protective immunity lasts for up to 12 months in these individuals, said the Ministry.
Relaxed restrictions
Qatar has announced a new set of eased regulations as part of its plan to slowly return to normality after controlling the third wave of the virus, which saw the highest number of reported cases in January.
As part of the new regulations, worshipers are no longer required to social distance while performing Friday prayers. Women praying areas have also re-opened before the month of Ramadan.
Unvaccinated individuals are also now required to take an antigen test before entering some public places to limit the spread of the virus.
All citizens and residents must also activate Ehteraz on their smartphones when leaving the house for any reason.
Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube
