www.thepeninsula.qa Friday 8 May 2020 Volume 25 | Number 8251 15 Ramadan - 1441 2 Riyals BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 08 IMF approved $18bn Mbappé in 50 requests for wins top emergency scorer pandemic aid award Get up to 2 GB bonus data with Hala from the safety of your home #Hadaya_Ooredoo *Terms and conditions apply Qatar has flattened COVID-19 curve: Health Minister Amir sends congratulations FAZEENA SALEEM the mathematical model to THE PENINSULA The country will soon pass the understand the capacity and to President and peak of the outbreak as the make required preparations. Qatar’s Minister of Public “Qatar has put a unique PM of Iraq Health, H E Dr. Hanan virus' reproduction rate has system in place to fight Mohammed Al Kuwari, said dropped significantly. COVID-19. Those who come from QNA — DOHA yesterday that the curve of countries that experience COVID-19 outbreak has been Qatar has a very high COVID-19 COVID-19 outbreak as well as the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin flattened and the country will recovery rate and the lowest persons who contacted them or Hamad Al Thani and Deputy soon be past the peak of the others with the disease are asked Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin coronavirus spread. mortality rate. to undergo quarantine at gov- Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday She said the government ernment facilities or at home,” cables of congratulations to has put in place a unique system Qatar has set up an army of she said. President of the brotherly to fight the pandemic. health workers to trace and “Persons with high risk are Republic of Iraq, H E Dr. “We have flattened the referred to government facilities. Barham Saleh, and Prime curve. We are not peaking that track the cases. Those with low risk are asked to Minister H E Mustafa Al aggressively, which means we be quarantined at home. Qatar Kadhimi on the occasion of have flattened the curve,” said Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari speaking to Al Jazeera about the has implemented a legal decree swearing in of new Iraqi the Minister in an interview COVID-19 situation, yesterday. to deal with quarantine vio- government, wishing them with Al Jazeera. “The country lators,” she added. and the government success will soon see the end of the in following the regulations” by curve. We continue to monitor. We emphasised that the recovery Speaking about mechanism and the brotherly Iraqi people peak. Qatar is implementing adhering to social distancing measure attack rate in the popu- rate of COVID-19 is high in the to trace and test people for further progress and pros- practices recommended by guidelines and other steps lation we have tested. The re-pro- country, and Qatar has the COVID-19, H E Dr. Al Kuwari perity. WHO to beat the virus.” announced by the authorities. duction rate of COVID-19 has lowest fatality rate, with only said, “Qatar has set up an army H E the Minister said that, “By putting social distancing dropped significantly,” she said. 12 deaths reported so far. of health workers to trace and Ramadan Timing the public has been “fantastic measures we have flattened the H E the Minister also She said Qatar is following track the cases.” `P2 Today's Iftar: Only 328 COVID-19 patients required 6:11pm intensive care; 208 have recovered Tomorrow's Imsak: SIDI MOHAMED that the number of infected it may continue to rise before it 03:19am THE PENINSULA people will increase in the stabilises and then gradually coming days before it stabilises decline again,” he said. Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Co-Chair and then begins to decline.” Dr. Al Khal further said that of the National Pandemic Speaking on the latest pre- during the past week Qatar has Preparedness Committee and cautionary measures taken by witnessed fluctuation, as some MoPH carries out Head of Infectious Diseases at Qatar to prevent the spread of days witnessed increase in the Hamad Medical Corporation the virus, he pointed out that: numbers, due to the cases that 2,500 random (HMC), has said that since start “53 percent of the patients in were checked. of the outbreak of the corona- intensive care do not need He also said that “Most of virus in Qatar, only 328 cases ventilators”. the infected cases in the last drive-through have been sent to intensive About the spread of virus, week are from the 29-34 age care, of which 208 have he said that among residents in group, followed by people aged COVID-19 tests Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal (right), Co-Chair of the National Pandemic recovered. Qatar it began to spread from from 35 to 44 years. Infected Preparedness Committee, and Dr. Ahmed Al Mohamed, Medical Addressing a joint press March 8. This means about 59 cases in the elderly are less and THE PENINSULA — DOHA Director of Hazm Mebaireek Hospial, addressing the press conference. conference at Qatar TV along days have passed since its this is a good thing because with Dr. Ahmed Al Mohamed, spread inside Qatar. complications more dangerous As part of the countrywide Medical Director of Hazm The pandemic began to for them. There is also an “About one percent of people enter intensive care efforts to manage the Mebaireek Hospial, Al Khal said, increase during the past three infection rate among children, infected cases enter intensive every day, most of them have COVID-19 outbreak, the “We entered the peak phase a weeks and entered its peak in but it is mild and often without care, and half of them require chronic diseases such as heart Ministry of Public Health few days ago, and it is expected the past week. “We expect that symptoms.” ventilator. Eight to 10 infected disease, and diabetes.” `P2 (MoPH) operated drive- through swabbing hubs at three health centres for two days, testing 2,500 randomly- Qatar reports 918 new virus selected persons for the coro- navirus infection. cases; over 2,200 recover The testing exercise was held in collaboration with the THE PENINSULA — DOHA infected with the virus as a Primary Health Care Corpo- result of contact with indi- ration (PHCC), Hamad Medical The Ministry of Public Health viduals who had been previ- Corporation (HMC)’s Ambu- (MoPH) yesterday announced ously infected, in addition to lance Service, Laboratories the registration of 918 new recording new cases from and Qatar University. confirmed cases of COVID-19, within groups of workers from The aim of this exercise and 216 new recoveries, various regions. These cases was to conduct a community bringing the total number of have been identified as a result survey and gain more insight recovered cases in Qatar to of investigations carried out by into community transmission 2,286. the Ministry. and asymptomatic cases, The total number of pos- The remainder of new which will in turn inform itive COVID-19 cases recorded cases infected with the virus policy decisions. in Qatar to date stands at have come from citizens and H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed 18,890. There are a total of residents who have contracted Al Kuwari, the Minster of 16,592 active cases currently the virus from members of Public Health, said: “We are under treatment. The Ministry their families, who in turn had constantly looking at new conducted 3,532 tests yes- contracted the virus through ways of identifying any unde- terday, taking the total tests their workplaces or other tected cases in the community done so far to 116,495. places where they had been so that we help to reduce the The Ministry in a statement exposed to infected people. spread of COVID-19 and Volunteers from the Ministry of Culture and Sports distributing Garangao gifts to children by has explained that most of the All the new cases have been provide the appropriate care driving around various residential areas in buses specially decorated for the occasion, in a Doha new cases are due to expatriate quarantined where they are and support to people who locality, yesterday. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA workers who have been receiving medical care. `P2 have the virus but are showing no symptoms. We have used Buses deliver gifts as children celebrate Garangao drive-through testing in the QATAR UPDATES past successfully and we invite SIDI MOHAMED The initiative was taken Aisha Al Mahmoud, C VID-19 ON 07 MAY 2020 you to join this latest drive- THE PENINSULA in collaboration with sports Director of Public Relations through initiative. I urge eve- clubs and entities affiliated and Communication at the ryone who receives an SMS to Children celebrating tradi- with the Ministry of Culture. Ministry, explained that the NEWNEW TOTALTOTAL NEWNEW CASESCASES ACTIVEACTIVE take part and get tested.” tional Garangao event were Garangao is a Qatari tra- initiative comes within the RECOVERIES RECOVERIES ANNOUNCEDANNOUNCED CASES The COVID-19 pandemic thrilled to see specially- ditional children’s party cel- framework of the Ministry’s is having a major impact decorated buses which ebrated after breaking the keenness to continue 216 2,286 918 16,592 across the globe. This survey delivered gifts to children at Ramadan fast on 14th night reviving the country’s her- will allow better under- their doorsteps last night. of the holy month, when itage, through events that standing of the flow of the Garangao buses were half of the fasting month is adhere to measures com- virus in the community and part of an initiative by the over. patible with the nature of the adapt responses to the scien- Ministry of Culture and Taking all the precau- current stage in light of the tific findings.