The slight increase in numbers comes after a week of Eid festivities.

More than 200 Covid-19 cases have been reported over the past 24 hours, figures from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) showed on Wednesday.

Some 117 of the new cases were detected among the local community cases while 108 were reported in travellers returning from abroad.

The MOPH’s numbers also show one recorded death in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities up to 601.

This marks the first such increase in weeks, with official statistics up until Wednesday showing less than 100 daily positive cases.

Last week, health authorities in Qatar recorded less than 100 Covid-19 patients at hospitals across the country, according to official figures. This has now increased to 104, of which 27 are receiving intensive care at the ICU.

Read also: WHO warns of potential ‘catastrophic’ coronavirus surge in Middle East

Though no details were provided by the ministry, the slight jump in cases could be attributed to last week’s Eid festivities, which traditionally sees families and friends visit homes and socialise in large gatherings.

Meanwhile, more than half of the population— aged 16 and above — have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Qatar, with recent statistics from the ministry showing over 1.6 million people are now fully vaccinated.

According to the figures, 68.6% of those 16 and over have received both doses.

Meanwhile, 98.6% of those aged 60 and above received the first dose with 93.5% of this age group now fully vaccinated.

Since the start of the country’s National Vaccination Campaign, 3,708,551 vaccine doses have been administered. The country has been expanding its vaccination campaign in recent months to ensure the community’s safety— administrating over 2,000 doses daily.

Qatar is currently in phase 3 of the lifting of restrictions, with the fourth and final phase expected on 30 July. It remains to be seen whether the increase in cases will impact the final lifting of restrictions.

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