Official figures show the country has been witnessing a huge surge in the number of daily reported deaths.
Qatar’s Covid-19 fatalities hit 400 on Wednesday, with 9 deaths recorded in just one day, the Ministry of Public Health [MoPH] announced.
The latest victims, aged 42, 46, 49, 52, 61, 66, 72, 74 and 89 years, were all receiving the necessary medical care before their passing, the ministry added.
In the last few months, Qatar has been grappling with a more severe second coronavirus wave, reporting more than 800 daily reported cases.
Although it has maintained the world’s lowest coronavirus mortality rate, the Gulf state has been recording more weekly deaths, with authorities attributing this to the spread of the the UK and South African strains.
According to official health ministry figures, eight people died from the novel coronavirus in December. The number decreased to three in January before shooting up to 10 in February, including an 11-year-old child.
However, since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. In just four months, the total number of death cases doubled, recording 155 death cases since the start of this year.
Read also: Qatar’s vaccination drive covers 35.5% of adults with at least one dose.
Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Hamad Medical Corporation and Chairman of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee, announced last month that despite best efforts, the UK strain entered the country and has caused the latest surge in cases.
When compared to the original virus, the UK variant, a more deadly strain, has 23 mutations and spreads up to 70% more easily. This has resulted in a sharp increase in Covid-19 positive cases in Qatar, going from 300-to-400 reported cases in February to over 800 in April.
In an attempt to flatten the curve, authorities have expanded the nationwide vaccination campaign to ensure as many people receive the vaccine as possible.
Last Monday, the ministry of health announced that more than 35.5% of adults have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination.
In the last week, more than 168,453 doses were administered across the country, bumping the total number of doses given since the start of the programme in December to 1,248,229.
The most latest weekly report also confirms more than 82.8% of people above the age of 60 have received at least one dose of the vaccine since late December, with 67.5% completing the vaccine course.
Currently, Qatar has 22,592 active Covid-19 cases, the highest in months.
