Manama: Mahmood Rafique, Editor: The persistent spike in the COVID-19 cases has triggered the new warnings from the top health officials including precautionary health protocols to bring around 800 new COVID-19 cases at an average under control.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has been very consistent in its approach in handling the outbreak of the pandemic but the reckless attitude of some public segments and ferocity of COVID-19 new strain has spiraled the daily number in new infections.
Dr. Lt. Col. Manaf Al Qahtani, Infectious Disease Consultant and Microbiologist at the BDF Hospital and member of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), highlighted the importance of taking extra precautions in light of the prevalence of a variant COVID-19 strain, more highly transmittable than the initial COVID-19 strain.
The Ministry of Health on February 13th had conducted 12,030 tests detecting 790 new existing cases were registered, including 264 cases for expatriate workers, 511 cases of contacts of existing cases, and 15 cases coming from abroad, and an additional 609 cases recovered, bringing the total number of cases Recovering to 104487. There were three deaths taking the total number to 398.
Dr. Al Qahtani noted that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing the spread of the virus as well as preventing serious complications from COVID-19, if infected. Dr. Al Qahtani further reiterated the importance for all to register for the vaccine, to protect individuals, their families and the community.
Dr. Al Qahtani underlined the importance of supporting mitigation efforts and strictly following all precautionary measures advised by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other relevant authorities, in particular given the prevalence of the variant strain. Moreover, Dr. Al Qahtani noted that the precautionary measures issued previously are the same measures that must be followed to combat the variant.
Dr. Al Qahtani emphasised that the variant strain from the United Kingdom has been detected in most of the current active cases, adding that the elderly are at greatest risk from the variant, noting that symptoms appear at a later stage. Dr. Al Qahtani further emphasised the importance of taking greater precautions when interacting with the elderly, or those who have chronic diseases, even within the same household.
Dr. Al Qahtani asserted that the Kingdom of Bahrain is the only country that requires incoming passengers to undergo a second PCR test 10 days after arrival, and data does not indicate that the recent increase in numbers is due to travel. In this respect, Dr. Al Qahtani highlighted that over 250,000 contact tracing figures have indicated that most of the current cases are linked to family and private gatherings.
Dr. Al Qahtani concluded by stressing the importance of staying away from gatherings and limiting gatherings to individuals of the same household and immediate social circle, in addition to getting vaccinated and strictly following all the precautionary measures and regulations issued by the Taskforce and relevant authorities.
