Qatar is Flattening the Curve through Testing, Quarantine, Travel Limitations, and Social Distancing
While Western Countries see COVID-19 Cases
Overwhelming Healthcare Systems and the Death Toll Rising
Safer in Doha. That's what I say almost every day.
As a potentially high-risk vector for the COVID-19 virus and one of 40,000 people from the US living in Qatar, I have followed closely the spread of the virus east from Wuhan to the Middle East, to Europe, and then to the United States. Sitting in the center of that geographic expanse, I have used Facebook to share information with my family and friends in the US. But, until the last two weeks, the significance of that news may have escaped some of them.
Most often, I have shared the timely interventions taken by Qatar to keep its citizens and residents safe and healthy. As one of the richest countries in the world on a per capita basis, it has significant financial resources and well-educated government officials. Together, it has allowed government officials to respond quickly to evolving events and the increasing understanding of the virus.
No Exponential Growth
Based on the data reported, Qatar has kept the number of new cases low and avoided a geometric increase. Qatar has flattened the curve. Researchers think so, too. When the "hammer" approach gets the number of new cases down to zero, it's leaders will next decide how best to handle the "dance" phase of the public health crisis.
In his wildly popular March 19, 2020 article in Medium, “Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance,” Tomas Pueyo correctly predicted the national lock-down, which he called the hammer, and said it would lead to a new phase, which he called the dance, in which essential parts of the economy could reopen, including some schools and some factories with skeleton crews.
Every epidemiological model envisions something like the dance. Each assumes the virus will blossom every time too many hosts emerge and force another lock-down. Then the cycle repeats. On the models, the curves of rising and falling deaths resemble a row of shark teeth.
The tighter the restrictions, experts say, the fewer the deaths and the longer the periods between lock-downs. Most models assume states will eventually do widespread temperature checks, rapid testing and contact tracing, as is routine in Asia.
Large, Mobile Expat Population Living in a Transportation Hub
Qatar is a county of 2.6 million people (about the same population as West Virginia), It has the highest population of foreign workers in the Arab Gulf region (89.9 %). Qataris number 313,000. Remaining residents come from most countries in the world, with five countries topping the list: India (700,000), Bangladesh (400,000), Nepal (400,000), Egypt (300,000) and the Philippines (236,000). These foreign workers often travel home for extended vacations throughout the year. Qataris are also fond of international travel.
Qatar is lucky. It has only three ways into the country, making it easier for officials to manage its borders. Saudi Arabia closed one point of entry -- the land bridge with Qatar -- when the blockade started in June 2017. The other points of entry are Hamad Port and Hamad International Airport.
A press release issued in the summer of 2019 boasted about the traffic through Qatar's Hamad International Airport:
Resident Support for Government Actions
I am also impressed with what appears to be great support for the increasingly difficult choices they have made, despite the increasing limitation of freedoms residents experience. The response expresses strong support for interdependent group well-being at the expense of more Western-style values of autonomy and independence. More recently, I have seen calls for a complete lock down by expats posting in a local Facebook group.
Residents of Qatar trust government information, and rely on it to order their lives. Yes, the supplies of alcohol, face masks, and hand sanitizer ran out, but yesterday, Qatar announced it had secured new supplies. Officials intended to regulate their prices to prevent price gouging and to better ensure that all residents would have access to the supplies. It arrested one man who horded supplies and tried to sell them at inflated prices. It also announced the acquisition of medical supplies from China.
Doha residents intend to thank medical workers, police, grocery store employees, pharmacists, and other essential workers for their service to the country and to its residents. Last night at 8 p.m. was the first, of what we hope becomes a weekly event, acknowledging these workers. A lot of applause and hooting.
Large, Mobile Expat Population Living in a Transportation Hub
Qatar is a county of 2.6 million people (about the same population as West Virginia), It has the highest population of foreign workers in the Arab Gulf region (89.9 %). Qataris number 313,000. Remaining residents come from most countries in the world, with five countries topping the list: India (700,000), Bangladesh (400,000), Nepal (400,000), Egypt (300,000) and the Philippines (236,000). These foreign workers often travel home for extended vacations throughout the year. Qataris are also fond of international travel.
Qatar is lucky. It has only three ways into the country, making it easier for officials to manage its borders. Saudi Arabia closed one point of entry -- the land bridge with Qatar -- when the blockade started in June 2017. The other points of entry are Hamad Port and Hamad International Airport.
A press release issued in the summer of 2019 boasted about the traffic through Qatar's Hamad International Airport:
Hamad International Airport (HIA) has reported serving a total of 9.38 million passengers in the second quarter of 2019, making it the busiest second quarter the airport has seen. The record-breaking second quarter saw passenger numbers growing by 18.9% compared with the same quarter last year. Qatar’s state-of-the-art terminal has also handled 56,452 aircraft movements from April to June 2019, marking a 5.48% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
In detail, HIA has served 3,427,723 passengers in April, 2,792,445 in May, and 3,152,384 in June. These numbers are inclusive of passengers arriving, departing and transferring through HIA. The airport also handled 18,997 aircraft movements in April, 18,487 movements in May and 18,968 movements in June, which includes the total number of aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport.Accordingly, Qatar has faced significant contextual challenges in deciding how best to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. As one of those foreign workers living in Qatar, I have watched, with great interest and respect, the quick and determined decision-making of the leaders of Qatar.
Resident Support for Government Actions
I am also impressed with what appears to be great support for the increasingly difficult choices they have made, despite the increasing limitation of freedoms residents experience. The response expresses strong support for interdependent group well-being at the expense of more Western-style values of autonomy and independence. More recently, I have seen calls for a complete lock down by expats posting in a local Facebook group.
Residents of Qatar trust government information, and rely on it to order their lives. Yes, the supplies of alcohol, face masks, and hand sanitizer ran out, but yesterday, Qatar announced it had secured new supplies. Officials intended to regulate their prices to prevent price gouging and to better ensure that all residents would have access to the supplies. It arrested one man who horded supplies and tried to sell them at inflated prices. It also announced the acquisition of medical supplies from China.
Doha residents intend to thank medical workers, police, grocery store employees, pharmacists, and other essential workers for their service to the country and to its residents. Last night at 8 p.m. was the first, of what we hope becomes a weekly event, acknowledging these workers. A lot of applause and hooting.
For an engaging and approachable description of the virus, its impact on us, and the associated science see Monster or Machine? A Profile of the Coronavirus at 6 Months.
Qatar's Response to the Pandemic: The Timeline
What follows is a time-line I created to track mostly Qatar's response to the pandemic, Tangentially and for comparison, it refers to developments in the West. For its sourcing, I have relied on The Peninsula Qatar, Gulf News, Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, Al Jazzera, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. I will continue to update it and add attribution for the stated facts. I often reproduce content from the original source without using quotation marks, but I always include a link to the original source.
The daily updates and commentary continues at a new post for May and for June.
Feb. 29: Qatar diagnoses its first case. Oman reports the recovery of one of six reported cases.
March 1: Qatar bans people coming from Egypt from entering the country.
March 2: Saudi Arabia and Jordan report first cases. Second person dies in the US.
March 4: Saudi Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimages to Muslim holy sites.
March 5: Italy closes schools.
Small and medium industries in the logistical areas will also receive a rent holiday for six months.
March 16: Bahrain announces the first death from the virus in the Arab Gulf.
Qatar has 38 new cases, bringing total to 439.
Qatar bars entry of any foreigners. It allows only returning Qataris to enter country. Transit passengers may still use the airport.
Qatar Airways announces no Qatari may fly out of Qatar after March 31 until further notice. (I am still waiting for the press release to post on its website.)
The rise in reported cases may reflect better testing according to this article. "Qatar has put in place a “new laboratory technique” to conduct a greater number of coronavirus tests and this might lead to a surge in the confirmed cases daily, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said on Monday. This will help in early detection of infected cases and then limiting the spread of the virus, the ministry added."
Oil prices dip to a price not seen for 18 years, trading as low as $21.65 per barrel.
The US reports a total of 188,881 confirmed cases, with 4,066 deaths.
UN calls the pandemic the biggest human crisis since World War II. 840,000 people are confirmed to have the viral infection. Well over 40,000 are known to have died, half of them in Italy and Spain.
April 1: Qatar reports 54 new cases, bringing the total to 835.
Qatar officials provide statistics on the persons getting ill and the seriousness of the illness. Eight-nine percent of cases are mild. Only 3 percent of the cases are serious. The remaining 8 percent of people have either recovered or died (two, both aged above 55). Currently, 37 people are in intensive care units, while 12 have been discharged. Among Qataris testing positive, 47 were women and 65 were men. Among the non-Qataris, 48 were women and 685 were men. The age breakdown is:
- 3% aged above 64 years
- 10% in between 55 and 64 years
- 18% aged 45-54 years
- 25% aged 35-44 years
- 31% aged 25-34 years
- 12% aged 15-24 years
Police continue to arrest Qataris who violate quarantine and list their names in newspapers and other media. They also arrested 10 people for violating the ban on gatherings in public places. The defendants were arrested for gathering in the sand dunes area in southern Qatar.
- The military sector
Two-thirds of a small group of patients showed improvements after receiving an experimental coronavirus treatment made by Gilead Sciences, bolstering hopes for finding a treatment for the disease, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday.
New York health officials have started burying unclaimed bodies in mass graves.
April 12: Qatar reports 251 new cases, bringing the total to 2,979 confirmed infections. On person died, bringing total deaths to 7 people. The deceased was a 42-year old with pre-existing conditions. Qatar has tested 49,102 people.
In the US, 20,000 Americans are dead. US accounts for 19% of deaths worldwide, exceeding deaths in Italy and China. U.S. accounts for 30% of worldwide coronavirus cases. US population composes just 4% of the world population. US mortality rate continues to creep up -- now 3.9%, was 1.5% at 1,000 deaths. The mortality rate of the 1918 flu was 2.5% and the seasonal flu is less than 0.1%. US now accounts for roughly 1 in 3 new worldwide deaths each day. Yesterday, was the deadliest day so far with 2,035 American deaths. Today will likely top that as more states start to see a spike in infections. Trump has still not issued a national lock-down and has encouraged people to attend church on Easter Sunday. Many GOP governors have classified congregational live church services as essential services.
Top oil-producing countries agreed on Sunday to record output cuts in order to boost plummeting oil prices due to the new coronavirus crisis and a Russia-Saudi price war.
April 13: Qatar reports 252 new cases, bringing total confirmed cases to 3,231. Officials have tested 50,828 people.
As hand sanitizer begins to appear again on store shelves, pharmacies will extend face mask distribution to non-Qatari residents. They will sell 20 surgical masks, at QR 40, to residents presenting a Qatar ID card.
Police arrested four people who violated the social gathering ban, reinforcing its zero tolerance policy.
Qatari officials continue to set the price for vegetables, fruits, and fish.
A respected Chicago law professor and blogger, Brian Leiter, is tracking the exponential growth of the virus in Chicago here. His blog also tracks research and data on other aspects of the pandemic. Here is his post clearly stating that COVID-19 is not an April-May problem, but a problem we face until scientists find a vaccine in 12 or 18 months.
West Virginia, US, is a state with a population about the size of Qatar. Average household income is $43,469/year. Many people living there have pre-existing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Quite a few people smoke or are former smokers. As of today, the state reports 611 total confirmed cases and 8 deaths. They confirmed the first case on March 13. They have tested only 16,251 people.
April 14: Qatar reports 197 new cases, bring total confirmed cases to 3,428. Officials have tested 52,622 people.
Officials plan to impose penalties against a contracting company that did not adhere to the rule about worker seating on transportation buses.
Ministry increases the pre-cautionary measures employers must take. Employers must identify "the symptoms of the virus, its transmission methods, and [enhance] environmental cleaning of workplaces by installing hand sanitizers, disinfecting workplace and providing the required personal protection tools, in addition to measuring the temperature of employees using non-touch device, maintaining a safe distance, suspending the use of fingerprint scan, stop receiving visitors and canceling external meeting and using technological solutions.
The guidelines also include stopping the use of external companies to provide food and drink for workers and a recommendation to the Mental Health Service, by circulating to employees all facts related to coronavirus and work flexibility, as employers have to be flexible and enable individuals to work from home and abide by national directives that include guidelines and procedures that the employer must take in the event of an infection of one of the employees." More information here.
Additional rules govern behavior of employees designed to increase safety and security.
Qatari officials reinforce that all residents of Qatar have access to free healthcare, especially persons infected with the novel coronavirus.
The Ministry of Education launches a distance learning platform.
The managers of Souq Waqif deny the rumor about its partial opening some time in the near future.
An international survey reveals high levels of trust among Qatari residents in the government and its handling of he pandemic. It found Qatar among the top five countries of the world with respect to perceptions of truthfulness, with less than 5% believing that the government has been untruthful about the outbreak. "When asked if survey participants believe the government is doing enough, over 20% of respondents believe the government’s response has been insufficient [sic]. However almost 50% believe the public’s response has been insufficient [sic?], despite the majority of people reporting that they have practiced social distancing in the past week. More than 90% of people said they did not attend social gatherings, almost 90% reported staying at home in the previous week, and less than [sic?] 80% said they kept a distance of at least 2 meters from other people. The vast majority of people (more than 90%) said they are washing their hands more frequently and almost 95% of people said they would inform someone if they felt sick." [I have asked for clarification of some of the cited numbers.]
A study published in the journal Science predicts the need for social distancing until 2022. For a summary of the study, see here.
April 15: Qatar reports 283 new cases, bringing the total to 3,711, with deaths remaining at 7. Officials tested 54,484 people.
Qatar Media Corp creates dedicated Twitter account for coronavirus updates.
Qatar Traffic Department distributes masks and gloves and provides information.
Qatar Health Minister describes a four-prong national strategy as "creating awareness among the community, conducting screening, tracing the sources of infection, and providing enough beds in hospitals."
The ministry extended and updated rules on employment relationships. The ministry also pointed out steps to be followed when employers have to terminate job contracts.
Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases passed 2 million , according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University, though experts caution that the virus has all likelihood infected far more people. The virus has reached all continents except Antarctica and officially killed more than 120,000 people, including more than 26,000 in the United States. It took about four months for the virus to infect 1 million people and only 12 days for that number to double.
Clinicians around the world are seeing evidence that the coronavirus isn’t just destroying lungs; it may be causing heart inflammation, acute kidney disease, neurological malfunction, blood clots, intestinal damage, and liver problems, as well.
Despite this increase in new cases from the day before, government officials said that infections had peaked in Qatar.
Ministry refers three contracting companies for investigation after finding them in violation of precautionary measures designed to prevent transmission of the virus on transportation buses.
Evidence emerges that virus may have escaped from one of two labs located in Wuhan, China that had drawn scientific concerns about their safety and capacity to handle bat-sourced coronaviruses. But, here is the rebuttal. No evidence of accidental release.
The UAE announces the roll-out of a police helmet that can detect fever at a safe distance, among other monitoring and recognition capabilities. The UAE’s outbreak has been worsening, with the number of cases doubling three times just in the last two weeks, reaching 5,365. Officials report 33 deaths, a low number compared to other countries and attributed to the general youth of population, extensive testing, and good health infrastructure.
In the US. more than 28,000 people have died in recent weeks during the pandemic. It saw the highest one-day total so far with 2,400 deaths. COVID-19 may soon become the leading cause of death in the US. About 5,500 deaths have been among residents of nursing homes.
April 17: Qatar reports 560 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 4,663 infections. Officials have tested 58,328. This is the highest number of confirmed cases since Feb. 29, when officials confirmed the first case in Qatar. In the last two days, officials have tested at least 3,844 people. Officials explain the increase as evidence that the pandemic in Qatar is reaching its peak and more people coming in for testing when they experience symptoms of the illness. This increase in the confirmed cases may also tie to the next story.
Qatar, according to foreign press outlets, has confirmed 8 infections among construction workers at World Cup construction sites. If true, this new cluster of cases may explain the jump in new cases yesterday, from about 250 over the past two weeks, to 392. Officials likely tested all workers at the two locations and discovered additional infections. I wonder if we will see a quarantine of the worker housing and a temporary cessation of work on the stadiums for the next two or three weeks.
This story may also tie to the April 16 story about the action taken against contracting companies who had violated guidelines on work place social distancing, especially on transportation buses.
At the same time, the officials stated that infections had peaked in Qatar. Stay tuned.
Singapore is also reporting a spike of infections among foreign workers after signs that the country had curbed the virus.
In the US, as Trump pushes re-opening the economy by May 1 despite 678,210 confirmed infections and 34,641 deaths, most Americans prefer prolonging the lock-down to preserve lives. "New polling from Pew Research Center suggests that Americans are more likely to side with the experts than with Trump. By a 2-to-1 margin, they are more concerned that distancing measures will be rescinded too quickly than too slowly." In the US, confirmed cases doubled in 13 days, since April 4. Deaths tripled since that date.
Worldwide, countries report 2,196,567 confirmed cases and 147,508 deaths.
April 18: Qatar reports 345 new cases, totaling 5,008, with one death, bringing total deaths to 8. Officials tested 60,139 persons so far. "The Ministry of Public Health states that the noticeable increase in the number of confirmed new cases of infection is due to several reasons, including the fact that the spread of the virus has started to enter into the peak stage, which is the highest wave that affects the country, which may continue to increase for a period before it starts to decline. It is also due to the steady increase in efforts of the Ministry of Public Health and its medical teams to track the transmission chains of the Coronavirus and conduct intensive and proactive investigations of groups of contacts with people who were diagnosed with the disease previously. This has contributed to the early detection of many cases of infection and reducing the spread of the virus."
Officials reveal a 150-bed hospital nearing completion in the Industrial Area for workers placed in quarantine. Next to it, is a 40-bed emergency center.
Qatar Airways repatriates 436 Qataris from Jordon.
Ministry announces action against employees who abused a "violator." The person capturing the incident may also face legal action.
Quarantined workers now have access to an online platform -- Connecting for Care -- that provides information and support in their native languages. The project aims to build bridges between the different members of society, improve literacy through training tools, and contribute to the social well-being of all parties. Connecting For Care is a collaboration between Qatar Foundation (QF), with the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) – QF’s global health initiative – playing an important role; Education Above All Foundation through its program Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) ; and Modaris (Dlala Smart), a local EdTech company that was founded by an alumnus of QF partner university Texas A&M University at Qatar. Officials reported on April 29 that the platform has gotten an overwhelming response from workers, but can handle more volume.
April 19: Qatar reports 440 new cases, bringing total to 5,448. "Most of the new cases are due to migrant workers who had been identified through tracing and were found to have mixed with infected cases, while the lowest percentage of the new cases came from citizens and residents who had contracted the virus from family members."
Ooredoo installs a fever-sensing camera at one of its Qatar locations. The camera also detects persons who are not wearing a mask. They plan to install the cameras at other locations as soon as possible.
Specialists at the Qatar Calendar House announce that Ramadan will begin on Thursday, April 24. The pandemic will likely change many extended family practices that come with this religious observance. Qatar officials ask people to adhere to pandemic precautions in place.
The US reports, 738,923 confirmed infections and 39,015 deaths. Covid-19 is arguably the leading cause of death in the United States right now. The virus has killed more than 1,800 Americans almost every day since April 7, and the official toll may be an undercount. By comparison, heart disease typically kills 1,774 Americans a day, and cancer kills 1,641. The US is experiencing up to 30,000 confirmed infections per day.
Twenty US experts in public health, medicine, epidemiology, and history provided their predictions about the future. "Some felt that American ingenuity, once fully engaged, might well produce advances to ease the burdens. The path forward depends on factors that are certainly difficult but doable, they said: a carefully staggered approach to reopening, widespread testing and surveillance, a treatment that works, adequate resources for health care providers — and eventually an effective vaccine.
* * *
[On the other hand:] “We face a doleful future,” said Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg, a former president of the National Academy of Medicine. He and others foresaw an unhappy population trapped indoors for months, with the most vulnerable possibly quarantined for far longer. They worried that a vaccine would initially elude scientists, that weary citizens would abandon restrictions despite the risks, that the virus would be with us from now on. “My optimistic side says the virus will ease off in the summer and a vaccine will arrive like the cavalry,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University medical school. “But I’m learning to guard against my essentially optimistic nature.” Most experts believed that once the crisis was over, the nation and its economy would revive quickly. But there would be no escaping a period of intense pain.
Exactly how the pandemic will end depends in part on medical advances still to come. It will also depend on how individual Americans behave in the interim. If we scrupulously protect ourselves and our loved ones, more of us will live. If we underestimate the virus, it will find us."
Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 2,33,944, with 160,820 deaths.
April 20: Qatar reports 567 new cases, bring the total to 6,015. Officials have tested 64,620 people, with 2,082 tests taken in the last 24 hours. One person, a 56-year old with chronic conditions, has died, bringing the total to 9 persons.
Qatar officials announce a gradual opening of the Industrial Area that has been under quarantine since March 17. It will begin on April 22, starting from Streets No. 1 and 2 at Al Wakalat street.
Visitors to Qatar whose visas expire may stay without penalties if they cannot return home because their home countries have banned flights into their airports.
April 21: Qatar reports 518 new cases, bringing total to 6,533. Officials have tested 66,725 persons, with 2,105 tests taken in the last 24 hours.
Restaurants and cafes in Qatar can no longer allow people to enter or stand outside their businesses. Customers may only use delivery services.
Ministry cuts the price of seafood and fish.
The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs has recorded violations by 11 companies operating in various sectors, such as trade, contracting, agricultural, irrigation, electrical and mechanical services, technical services, transportation, supplies, and facilities management at a residential location in the Al Kharra area. The companies were not adhering to the precautionary measures, by failing to reduce the population density of workers' housing and by providing safe distances between workers when boarding or getting off the buses.
Qatari police continue to arrest people who violate ban on gathering in groups.
The Al Meera grocery chain now requires all persons in the store to wear masks.
Municipal officials in Doha ask people to properly dispose of masks and gloves.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control reported that up to 20 percent of virus cases are among doctors and nurses. The CDC researched 49,000 coronvavirus cases between Feb. 12 and April 9 and found that 9,300 of them, 19%, involved health care workers, according to the Associated Press. Data the CDC released Tuesday indicates 27 health care professionals have died.
April 22: Qatar reports 608 new cases, bringing the total to 7,141. A 55-year old resident dies bringing death toll to 10. Officials have tested 70,012 people.
People shopping, working in the service sector (including government employees), and construction workers must wears masks.
The ban on congregational prayers at mosques in Qatar will continue. Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque is exempted from this decision, in which Friday prayers will be exclusively held in the presence of only 40 people - including the imams and mosque's employees, as well as isha and Taraweeh prayers during the blessed month of Ramadan, in the presence of the imam and four of the mosque's employees, taking into account the health precautions directed by the Ministry of Public Health. These prayers will be transmitted to the public on television and radio channels.
Qatari officials issue guidelines governing the rights of workers working online. Teleworking conditions of employment should remain the same as before. The employee’s wage and benefits, including the provision of food and accommodation or the payment of allowances, should not change as a result of teleworking. The guidelines also discuss working hours.
Experts now believe that the death on Feb. 6, 2020 of a 57-year old woman in California from an apparent heart attack was instead a COVID-19 death. As the possible Patient Zero, the death could mark the start of community infection in the US. The unexpected finding makes clear that the virus was circulating in the Bay Area of California as early as January, even before the federal government began restricting travel from China on Feb. 2. It also raises new questions about where else the virus might have been spreading undetected. See the entry for April 24 about evidence that COVID-19 causes heart failure.
April 23: Qatar reports 623 new cases, for a total of 7,764. Officials have tested 73,457 people, with 3,445 test in the last 24 hours.
WHO officials again praise Qatar's response to the pandemic. Measures included conducting thermal screening at the airport, providing appropriate treatments to the infected people, tracing the contacts of positive cases of coronavirus in the community, and quarantining them under medical care.
Officials ask residents to adhere to precautionary measures during Ramadan, which starts on April 24, 2020.
Dermatologists are reporting that an early sign of the infection, especially among younger people, may be "COVID toes." A persons toes will be red or purple, painful to the touch, and perhaps hot.
April 24: Qatar reports 761 new cases, bringing total to 8,525. Officials have tested 75,888 people, with 2,431 coming in the last 24 hours. Recoveries stand at 809 patients.
Science Magazine describes the accumulating evidence that the virus attacks organs other than the lungs, including heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and intestines. The date is not yet clear on whether these organ failures are caused by the virus, by the cytokine storm, or the drugs used to treat the infection.
US reports 869,000 confirmed cases, and 49,960 deaths.
Worldwide, the novel coronavirus has infected at least 2.6 million people, and caused over 180,000 deaths.
April 25: Qatar reports another day of increasing infections. It reported 833 new cases, bringing the total to 9,358. Officials have tested 79,705 people, with 3,817 tests taken in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate of 929 people is a bit less than 10 percent of total reported infections.
Officials ask people to have no more than two people in a private vehicle, except for families. They call need to suppress the spread of the virus a national and moral duty.
WHO states that no evidence exists that infection confers immunity on survivors. The herd immunity theory (without vaccines) relied on the assumption that people who got infected and survived would not get a second infection.
Research shows that younger and middle-aged adults are dying from strokes linked to the viral infection.
US reports 898,000 confirmed cases, indicating that at least 1 in every 370 US residents has contracted the infection. Of those cases, 51,000 people have died, making those deaths one-quarter of deaths worldwide.
Worldwide, the virus has infected at least 2.8 million people, and caused 197,412 confirmed deaths.
April 26: Qatar reports 929 new cases, bringing total to 10,287. Officials have tested 82,289 persons, with 2,584 tests in the last 24 hours. Officials report 1,012 recoveries.
April 27: Qatar reports 957 new cases, for a total of 11,244. It reports no new deaths. Officials have tested 85,709 people, with 3,420 tests taken in the last 23 hours.
The Ministry has intensified inspections at labor accommodations to ensure enough space for the workers and needed hygiene. Most of the violations at labor camps are related to housing more workers than their capacity. For example, an apartment designed for 5 to 6 workers is illegally housing 10. This round of inspections covered camps located in Umm Ghuwailina, Najma, Aslata, Doha Al Jadeeda, Ghanam Al Qadim, Fereej Bin Abdula Aziz, and Matar Al Qadeem.
Officials again reminded residents to adhere to precautions during Ramadan.
Shoppers and customer service workers must wear a mask. Violators may face the penalties stipulated in Qatar Decree Law No. 17 of 1990 regarding the prevention of infectious diseases, by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine of no more than QR 200,000 or one of these two penalties.
US reports 756 new cases, bringing the total to 987,916. It has had 55,425 deaths.
Worldwide, confirmed infections totaled 3,015,411, with deaths at 207,934.
Psychologists and researchers explain the reasons why some people will not adhere to stay-at-home orders. They include optimism bias, narcissistic personality disorder, denial, work requirements, mental and physical health concerns, and a belief that actions such as hand washing are enough to protect themselves from the virus.
April 28: Qatar reports 677 new cases, bringing total to 11,921. Officials have tested 88,607 people, with 2,898 tests takenin the last 24 hours. Recovered cases stands at 1,134 (less than 10 percent of total cases).
Qatar officials have designated four health centers for testing and five hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Qatar has established quarantine facilities in 30 hotels.
The Ministry has announced that expiring commercial licenses and registrations will automatically renew for six months.
The Ministry has announced that dentists may offer dental services only on an urgent basis.
Lulu (the Walmart of Qatar), with 11 stores in Qatar, has adopted more prevention practices to keep shoppers and employees safe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has issued updated symptoms of an infection wit coronovirus. They are:
CDC data suggests that deaths in US are substantially under-reported. A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows 33,756 Covid-19 deaths and 32,325 from all other causes since Jan. 1. Other causes include heart attacks, accidents, overdoses, cancer and a wide variety of other fatal diseases. It also could include people who died of Covid-19 at home but whose deaths were incorrectly attributed to another cause. The numbers are almost certainly a substantial undercount of the actual total. On April 29, the death toll from the coronavirus alone passed 60,000 since Feb. 29, according to data collected by The Washington Post.
Sweden reports the highest deaths in a century after choosing to to engage in a lock-down strategy. Between April 6 and April 12, 2,505 Swedes died, or 358 deaths per day. It confirmed over 19,000 cases. Sweden has the highest infection rate among Nordic nations. Surrounding countries adopted a lock-down policy and infections are below 1,000 in each of those countries.
April 29: Qatar reports 643 new cases, for a total of 12,564 cases. Officials have tested 91,445 people, with 2,808 tests taken in the last 24 hours. Officials note that Qatar has had two consecutive days of declining cases.
While wearing a surgical mask. the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited the Research and Development Center at Barzan Holding Company affiliated to the Ministry of Defense to view the production lines for the manufacturing of the (Savr-Q) ventilators. The company is producing 2,000 ventilators per week.
Some Qatari restaurants now offer "Contactless delivery" service in which the patron and the deliverer do not need to have physical contact. The patron can pay online or provide exact change to the deliverer.
Ministry issues tips for handling products after you have gone shopping and return home.
US reports 1,038,490 new infections, with 59,438 deaths. The death toll, in about month, equals the deaths of US soldiers during several foreign wars, including the 11-year Viet Nam War. State and local governments have begun furloughing workers, affecting the delivery of services.
Worldwide, confirmed infections are 3,166,395 with 28,728 new cases. Deaths total 219,586.
April 30: Qatar reports 845 new cases, bringing the total to 13,409. Recovered cases total 1,372. Officials have taken 94,500 tests, with 3,085 taken in the last 24 hours. The ministry explained that it has stepped up efforts to trace contacts.
Qatari officials expect cases to rise for some time, but expect most of the infections to be mild. They also released data about infections based on age and gender. Most infections have been in younger men.
The Qatari Cabinet has extended all precautionary measures until April 30, 2020.
Qatar has found two construction companies in Al Wakra in violation of the rule that all employees wear masks. Officials of the two companies now face possible penalties of imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding QR 200,000 or one of the two penalties.
Can the virus infect through aerosol transmission? Here's a summary of the research. The answer? Maybe. Can air conditioning spread the virus? Here's one infection cluster scientists have studied. Answer? Air conditioning can likely disperse in a room droplets from an infected person. Another story about the restaurant transmission, possibly by the air conditioner.
US reports 9,345 new cases for a total of 1,073,539. Deaths stand at 62,261.
In late March, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced that an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from COVID-19. Ten days later, he lowered that figure to 60,000—a number that is already obsolete.
Worldwide, confirmed infections are 3,261,632 with 43,449 new cases. Deaths total 230,388.
I have continued daily updates at a new blog post for May.
Qatar's Response to the Pandemic: The Timeline
What follows is a time-line I created to track mostly Qatar's response to the pandemic, Tangentially and for comparison, it refers to developments in the West. For its sourcing, I have relied on The Peninsula Qatar, Gulf News, Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, Al Jazzera, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. I will continue to update it and add attribution for the stated facts. I often reproduce content from the original source without using quotation marks, but I always include a link to the original source.
The daily updates and commentary continues at a new post for May and for June.
Dec. 31, 2019: China treats cases of pneumonia without knowing their source.
Jan. 11, 2020: China discoveres the coronavirus and
reports its first death from it.
Jan. 21: Italy
confirms its first two cases.
Jan. 23: China locks
down Wuhan. Qatar
announces precautionary measures.
Jan. 25: US evacuates citizens from Wuhan. (Trump administration knew then.)
Jan. 30: WHO declares a global health emergency.
Jan. 31: Trump administration restricts travel from
China. (They knew then.)
Feb. 2: First case reported outside China results in the
death of a Filipino man.
Feb. 7: Chinese doctor who tried to raise an alarm about the virus dies.
Feb. 14: France confirms the first death in Europe.
Trump administration asks for $1.25 billion for emergency
response to the virus. US has 35 confirmed cases.
Feb. 26: Trumps says about infections in the US: "[W]hen you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done."
Feb. 26: Trumps says about infections in the US: "[W]hen you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done."
Feb. 27: US diagnoses
first community infection case.
Announces first death. Announces "do not travel" warning for travel to Europe.
Feb. 28: At a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump likened the Democrats' criticism of his administration's response to the new coronavirus outbreak to their efforts to impeach him, saying "this is their new hoax." During the speech, he also downplayed the severity of the outbreak, comparing it to the common flu.
Feb. 28: At a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump likened the Democrats' criticism of his administration's response to the new coronavirus outbreak to their efforts to impeach him, saying "this is their new hoax." During the speech, he also downplayed the severity of the outbreak, comparing it to the common flu.
March 1: Qatar bans people coming from Egypt from entering the country.
March 2: Saudi Arabia and Jordan report first cases. Second person dies in the US.
March 4: Saudi Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimages to Muslim holy sites.
March 5: Italy closes schools.
March 6: Qatar has 3
new cases, bringing total to 11.
March 7: Qatar has 1
new case, bringing total to 12.
March 8: Qatar has 3
new cases, bringing total to 15.
March 8: Qatar
prohibits the entry of people traveling from Italy, Bangladesh, China, Egypt,
India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri
Lanka, Syria and Thailand. Advises
residents to avoid non-essential travel.
March 9: Qatar has 3
new cases, bringing total to 18.
(Infected persons all worked at the same shop on Salwa road.)
March 10: China suggests it has curbed virus in Hubei and Wuhan.
Qatar shuts all schools and universities. Requires them to move to distance learning. (Was this order prompted by the three community infection cases discovered the day before?) Closure comes two days after an official reassures parents that schools would not close and children were not likley vectors for the virus.
Officials ban the smoking of shisha in restaurants and cafes.
Qatar shuts all schools and universities. Requires them to move to distance learning. (Was this order prompted by the three community infection cases discovered the day before?) Closure comes two days after an official reassures parents that schools would not close and children were not likley vectors for the virus.
Officials ban the smoking of shisha in restaurants and cafes.
March 11: WHO declares a pandemic.
Qatar has 238 new cases, bringing total to 262. Officials attribute the spike in infections to the three expats diagnosed on March 9 who "shared accommodations." Shows the speed and scope of testing and tracing in Qatar. Shows the speed and scope of these cluster infections.
All football matches in Qatar will go forward without spectators.
Officials announce that Qatar is using a top-quality testing and diagnosis technology.
Qatar has 238 new cases, bringing total to 262. Officials attribute the spike in infections to the three expats diagnosed on March 9 who "shared accommodations." Shows the speed and scope of testing and tracing in Qatar. Shows the speed and scope of these cluster infections.
All football matches in Qatar will go forward without spectators.
Officials announce that Qatar is using a top-quality testing and diagnosis technology.
March 12: Qatar announces the closure of cinemas, theaters,children’s play areas, gyms, and wedding venues, including those in hotels. It has also closed several souks. More here.
Qatar Foundation closes many museums and cultural facilities under its management.
Officials begin inspections of workers' accommodations.
Officials reassure the public of Qatar's huge stockpiles of foods and other goods after panic buying followed the closure of schools.
Qatar Foundation closes many museums and cultural facilities under its management.
Officials begin inspections of workers' accommodations.
Officials reassure the public of Qatar's huge stockpiles of foods and other goods after panic buying followed the closure of schools.
Officials call upon all citizens and residents to avoid
crowded places and postpone holding social gatherings for the time being. They also advise that elderly people and people with chronic health
conditions should avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.
March 13: Qatar has
58 new cases, bringing total to 320.
Qatar is now tracing first, second, and perhaps third degree
contacts. And, testing a lot of people.
In the US, Trump declares a national emergency.
March 14: Qatar has
17 new cases, bringing total to 337.
Qatar bans the
arrival of persons traveling from France, Germany, Spain, and Sudan.
Qatari courts suspend hearings for two weeks.
Qatari courts suspend hearings for two weeks.
March 15: Qatar has
64 new cases, bringing total to 401.
The country adopts a number of economic measures to relieve burdens on businesses:
The country adopts a number of economic measures to relieve burdens on businesses:
The Qatar Central Bank will put in place an appropriate mechanism to encourage banks to postpone loan installments and obligations of the private sector with a grace period of six months.
The Qatar Development Bank will postpone the installments of all borrowers for a period of six months.
Government funds will increase their investments in the stock exchange by QR10 billion, and the Central Bank will provide additional liquidity to banks operating in the country.
Water and electricity fees will be waived for firms in hospitality, tourism and retail sectors, small and medium industries, and commercial complexes for a period of six months, provided the savings trickle down to tenants and other beneficiaries.
Small and medium industries in the logistical areas will also receive a rent holiday for six months.
March 16: Bahrain announces the first death from the virus in the Arab Gulf.
Qatar has 38 new cases, bringing total to 439.
Qatar bars entry of any foreigners. It allows only returning Qataris to enter country. Transit passengers may still use the airport.
Officials close mosques in Qatar.
Officials sanitize 232 workers' accommodations in the Industrial Area. Workers express gratitude.
Qatar announces an economic and financial package of 75 billion Qatari riyals ($23bn) to help support the private business sector during the outbreak.
A number of commercial locations, including Doha Festival City Mall, begin announcing the suspension of the collection of rents from tenant shops for at least a month. More here, here, here, and here.
Officials sanitize 232 workers' accommodations in the Industrial Area. Workers express gratitude.
Qatar announces an economic and financial package of 75 billion Qatari riyals ($23bn) to help support the private business sector during the outbreak.
A number of commercial locations, including Doha Festival City Mall, begin announcing the suspension of the collection of rents from tenant shops for at least a month. More here, here, here, and here.
Qatar bans commercial flights into Qatar and ends public transportation. Arriving Qataris will stay in quarantine for 14-days. Air cargo shipments and transit flights will continue.
Qatari officials ban dining in restaurants, but permit take-a-way service.
March 17: Qatar has 3 new cases, bringing total to 442.
After a surge in infections, Qatari officials lock down people living in the Industrial Area of Doha that houses many foreign workers. It ensures adequate food and supplies to the area. People will also continue to receive their salaries.
It also closes all male and female grooming salons (and prohibits related home services), spas and massage centers in hotels, and malls and retail shops in commercials centers.
Qatar launches an educational program about the virus in several different languages.
It announces it has one of the highest COVID-19 testing rates in the world. The country is testing everyone suspected of carrying the virus.
The state-run gas filling stations offer a microchip that allows you to buy gas without exchanging money or a credit card.
March 17: Qatar has 3 new cases, bringing total to 442.
After a surge in infections, Qatari officials lock down people living in the Industrial Area of Doha that houses many foreign workers. It ensures adequate food and supplies to the area. People will also continue to receive their salaries.
It also closes all male and female grooming salons (and prohibits related home services), spas and massage centers in hotels, and malls and retail shops in commercials centers.
Qatar launches an educational program about the virus in several different languages.
It announces it has one of the highest COVID-19 testing rates in the world. The country is testing everyone suspected of carrying the virus.
The state-run gas filling stations offer a microchip that allows you to buy gas without exchanging money or a credit card.
March 18: Qatar has
10 new cases, bringing total to 452.
Eighty percent of Qatari government workers will work from home.
Qatar suspends the 2020 census process.
Eighty percent of Qatari government workers will work from home.
Qatar suspends the 2020 census process.
March 19: China reports no new cases.
Qatar has 8 new cases, bringing total to 460.
Qatar health ministry starts "stay-at-home" campaign.
Supermarkets and shops pledge to check the temperature of staff members twice a day; to provide sanitizers or sterilizers at main entrances, gathering places and toilets; to sterilize shopping carts before their use by shoppers; and continuously to sterilize surfaces such as refrigerator doors and handles.
WHO praises Qatar for its comprehensive efforts to contain the virus.
Qatar has 8 new cases, bringing total to 460.
Qatar health ministry starts "stay-at-home" campaign.
Supermarkets and shops pledge to check the temperature of staff members twice a day; to provide sanitizers or sterilizers at main entrances, gathering places and toilets; to sterilize shopping carts before their use by shoppers; and continuously to sterilize surfaces such as refrigerator doors and handles.
WHO praises Qatar for its comprehensive efforts to contain the virus.
March 20: Qatar has
10 new cases, bringing total to 470.
Officials clarify which shops must close. Regulations apply to retail stores that are located inside "major commercial malls such as Qatar Mall, Villaggio, Ezdan Mall, Al Salam Mall, City Center, Qmall, B Square, Laguna Mall, and others."
Hypermarkets and supermarkets (because they sell food items), ice-cream parlors, confectionery shops, pharmacies and medical centers are excluded from the closure. The same applies for restaurants and cafes as long as food is not served in their dining rooms."
Officials deport 150 Nepalese who violated quarantine orders that apply to the Industrial Area, They were shopping or playing volleyball at the time of the arrests.
Officials clarify which shops must close. Regulations apply to retail stores that are located inside "major commercial malls such as Qatar Mall, Villaggio, Ezdan Mall, Al Salam Mall, City Center, Qmall, B Square, Laguna Mall, and others."
Hypermarkets and supermarkets (because they sell food items), ice-cream parlors, confectionery shops, pharmacies and medical centers are excluded from the closure. The same applies for restaurants and cafes as long as food is not served in their dining rooms."
Officials deport 150 Nepalese who violated quarantine orders that apply to the Industrial Area, They were shopping or playing volleyball at the time of the arrests.
March 21: Qatar has
11 new cases, bringing total to 481.
Qatar closes public parks and beaches and ends winter camping season.
Private hospitals in Qatar are put on stand-by to help with any spike in infected patients.
Ministry clarifies that more than one person may be in a vehicle, but police may stop it to ensure that the trip with extra persons is necessary.
UAE announces its first death from the virus.
Qatar closes public parks and beaches and ends winter camping season.
Private hospitals in Qatar are put on stand-by to help with any spike in infected patients.
Ministry clarifies that more than one person may be in a vehicle, but police may stop it to ensure that the trip with extra persons is necessary.
UAE announces its first death from the virus.
March 22: Qatar has 13 new cases, bringing total to 494.
Qatar reports sterilizing several souks and a mall. It also sanitizes the roads around the main public hospital.
Qatar government seeks younger, healthy volunteers to aid in national effort to curb viral infections. Call leads to 35,000 volunteers. They hold their first training.
Restaurants in several parts of Doha close, including the Corniche, Al Khor, Lusail and Aspire Park.
Qatar reports sterilizing several souks and a mall. It also sanitizes the roads around the main public hospital.
Qatar government seeks younger, healthy volunteers to aid in national effort to curb viral infections. Call leads to 35,000 volunteers. They hold their first training.
Restaurants in several parts of Doha close, including the Corniche, Al Khor, Lusail and Aspire Park.
March 23: Qatar has 7 new cases, bringing total to 501.
worldatlas.org reports that Qatar has the highest ratio of doctors per capita in the world at 7.74 per 1,000 people, followed by Monaco (71.7), Cuba (67.2), Greece (54), San Marino (51), Spain (49.5), and Austria (48.3). The global average is 1.13 doctors for every 1,000 people. I would like to know how they are measuring per capita in Qatar. Is it a ratio counting only Qataris or a ratio counting all residents of Qatar? I ask that question because earlier news reports suggested a strong need for additional doctors in Qatar.
worldatlas.org reports that Qatar has the highest ratio of doctors per capita in the world at 7.74 per 1,000 people, followed by Monaco (71.7), Cuba (67.2), Greece (54), San Marino (51), Spain (49.5), and Austria (48.3). The global average is 1.13 doctors for every 1,000 people. I would like to know how they are measuring per capita in Qatar. Is it a ratio counting only Qataris or a ratio counting all residents of Qatar? I ask that question because earlier news reports suggested a strong need for additional doctors in Qatar.
Qatar closes some restaurants in the Industrial Area.
Qatar exempts food and medical supplies from custom duties for six months, including meat, fish, dairy, cheese, legumes, oils, pastries, juices, face masks, sterilizers, soap products, detergents, sterilization wipes, and personal and household hygiene items.
Qatar exempts food and medical supplies from custom duties for six months, including meat, fish, dairy, cheese, legumes, oils, pastries, juices, face masks, sterilizers, soap products, detergents, sterilization wipes, and personal and household hygiene items.
March 24: Qatar
announces that 18,000 temporary hospital beds will be available to treat patients. More here.
Police continue to arrest people who violate quarantine orders.
Qatar's Attorney General sets up a special prosecution unit to handle health law violations.
March 25: Qatar closes money transfer locations, and creates incentives to use online services and phone apps to transfer money to residents’ home countries.
Officials inspect quarantine facility set up to serve people housed in the Industrial Area of Doha.
WHO issues a rare rebuke to the countries who have been slow to take action. 150 countries still have fewer than 100 diagnosed cases. They can succeed in curbing the virus with six listed steps.
Qatar's Attorney General sets up a special prosecution unit to handle health law violations.
March 25: Qatar closes money transfer locations, and creates incentives to use online services and phone apps to transfer money to residents’ home countries.
Officials inspect quarantine facility set up to serve people housed in the Industrial Area of Doha.
WHO issues a rare rebuke to the countries who have been slow to take action. 150 countries still have fewer than 100 diagnosed cases. They can succeed in curbing the virus with six listed steps.
March 26: The Emir
updates the 1990 law to expand the mandatory reporting requirement for anyone suspected of carrying an infectious disease.
Officials also warn people to adhere to any quarantine requirements. Violators of these laws could be fined up to 200,000 QRs or imprisoned up to three years. Government creates a hotline to report violators.
Officials also warn people to adhere to any quarantine requirements. Violators of these laws could be fined up to 200,000 QRs or imprisoned up to three years. Government creates a hotline to report violators.
Qatar signs contracts to increase its strategic stockpiles
of wheat, rice, cooking oils, sugar, frozen red meat, long-life milk, and
powdered milk.
March 26: Qatar has
12 new cases, bringing total to 549. Has
tested 13,887 people. It reports no deaths from the disease.
March 27: Qatar reports 13 new cases, bringing the total to 562. Most of the cases in Qatar are among people aged 20 to 40.
Officials have created a dedicated website for news about the pandemic and local efforts to curb it.
March 27: Qatar reports 13 new cases, bringing the total to 562. Most of the cases in Qatar are among people aged 20 to 40.
Officials have created a dedicated website for news about the pandemic and local efforts to curb it.
Police patrols continue throughout the country to prevent gatherings in public areas, in parks, on beaches, in prayer halls, mosques and other
public places, as well as social events, weddings and condolence meetings. The
police will refer violators to the Public Prosecution office. Qatar has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for
violators.
For essentials shops still remaining open, officials issue regulatory decisions requiring a safe distance of 1.5 meter between customers and employees, and organizing customer
entry and exit according to the capacity of each store to avoid crowding.
Using a phone app, visitors in the country whose visas are
nearing completion and cannot return to their country may extend on-arrival and visit visas for a month after the end of the legal period specified for each
type of visa.
Qatar announces import of medical supplies from China.
Qatar announces import of medical supplies from China.
US announces it has 82,000 known cases of COVID-19, making the number of known infections the highest in the world, surpassing China and Italy. It reports the total number of deaths nationwide at at least 1,195.
US announces that "[a]bout 3.3 million Americans filed for initial jobless claims during the week that ended Saturday, according to newly released Department of Labor statistics. That report marks the highest number of initial jobless claims since the Department of Labor started tracking the data in 1967. The previous high was 695,000 claims filed in the week ending October 2, 1982. Last week's jump marked a massive increase from a revised 282,000 claims in the prior week." Even during the Great Depression in the 30's, claims (665,000) were lower. Economists are now predicting 30 percent of US population could be unemployed.
March 28: Qatar reports its first death from the virus. The victim was a 57-year-old resident of the People's Republic of Bangladesh who suffered from chronic diseases. He was immediately admitted, after his diagnosis, to the hospital on March 16.
The ministry reports 28 new cases, bringing the total to 590 known infections.
This graph shows the trends in Qatar for new and total cases. My thanks to Mathien Roberty-Jabbour for alerting me to it.
Qatar closes more non-essential businesses, including all cafes and juice stalls; education services and support centers; workshops and centers concerned with arts, theatrical and entertainment services; wedding and event services and centers; and shoe and watch repair booths.
US announces that "[a]bout 3.3 million Americans filed for initial jobless claims during the week that ended Saturday, according to newly released Department of Labor statistics. That report marks the highest number of initial jobless claims since the Department of Labor started tracking the data in 1967. The previous high was 695,000 claims filed in the week ending October 2, 1982. Last week's jump marked a massive increase from a revised 282,000 claims in the prior week." Even during the Great Depression in the 30's, claims (665,000) were lower. Economists are now predicting 30 percent of US population could be unemployed.
March 28: Qatar reports its first death from the virus. The victim was a 57-year-old resident of the People's Republic of Bangladesh who suffered from chronic diseases. He was immediately admitted, after his diagnosis, to the hospital on March 16.
The ministry reports 28 new cases, bringing the total to 590 known infections.
This graph shows the trends in Qatar for new and total cases. My thanks to Mathien Roberty-Jabbour for alerting me to it.
Qatar closes more non-essential businesses, including all cafes and juice stalls; education services and support centers; workshops and centers concerned with arts, theatrical and entertainment services; wedding and event services and centers; and shoe and watch repair booths.
Food
stores, pharmacies, and delivery services, including delivery from restaurants
will remain open. Delivery firms must comply with preventative measures.
All other remaining
shops (not specified) may operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Al Meera, a large grocery store chain, announces it will not let children under 12 years of age into the stores. Explains that the measure is intended to protect children from infection and to protect other people from being infected by them. Children could be non-symptomatic carriers. Earlier in the week, at some locations, shoppers could not enter the store without wearing a mask and rubber gloves.
Officials announce that any shop selling hot or cold beverages must close, including coffee shops and cafeterias.
Officials provide detailed instructions for workers in light of the outbreak in Qatar. Describes their rights and obligations under health laws and regulations.
Officials implement remote medical services that include online appointments with doctors, the issuance of sick leave certificates, and the refill of medications with their delivery to the patient's door.
The Ministry, working with private providers, has ensured phone and internet networks can handle increased demand for employees working from home and children taking online classes.
S&P Global Ratings affirms its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Qatar at ‘AA-/A-1+’. The outlook on the long-term rating is stable. S & P said: “In view of the sharp fall in international oil prices, we have significantly lowered our oil price assumptions for 2020 and 2021. Nevertheless, Qatar’s government and external balance sheets currently remain strong and provide a buffer to withstand external shocks.”
Known infections in the US exceed 100,000.
Global infections exceed 600,000. Spain's death toll jumped to 5,690, with 832 patients dying in the past 24 hours.
Iran reports 139 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,517. Total number of cases in the country rose over a 24-hour period by 3,076, to 35,408.
March 29: Qatar has 44 new cases, bringing total to 634. It has tested 18,877 people.
The Ministry instructs hospitals to suspend non-emergency services including those offered by dental clinics, dermatology and laser clinics, plastic surgery clinics, diet and slimming centers, and physiotherapy clinics. It also suspends non-emergency surgical procedures.
Officials sanitize the streets in the quarantined Industrial Area.
The Ministry, working with private providers, has ensured phone and internet networks can handle increased demand for employees working from home and students taking online classes.
Qatari officials receive 5,598 calls on its hotline reporting violations of the rules on social distancing.
Officials remind people about the need for social distancing and specifically state that the law prohibits congregational prayer, including roof-top Friday prayer meetings.
Ministry regulates marine vessel activities, and bans activities of excursion cruisers and tourist vessels.
The Qatar Central Bank launches an electronic payment system. It will reduce the need for people to handle paper money.
It also provides QR3 billion for the private sector in loan guarantees for "soft loans" to help companies pay salaries and rent.
The US reports 9,662 new cases, bringing the total to 133,240 and 2363 deaths. In the last 24 hours, 143 people died.
China says it found patient zero, a 57-year old female shrimp seller in Wuhan. Her diagnosis came Dec. 16, 2019. She thinks she got the virus by sharing a toilet that meat sellers in the market also used. On the other hand, a study in Lancet medical journal claims the first person diagnosed with COVID-19 was identified on December 1.
March 30: The Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital in Doha Industrial Area has been turned into an exclusive facility for treating patients with coronavirus. It will increase its capacity to 471 beds soon, with 221 in the ICU and 250 in the inpatient ward. It will also have the capacity to treat up to 150 emergency COVID-19 cases soon.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a circular on holding concerts, festivals, events and special gatherings that compels contractors and providers of these services to seek consensual agreements with clients following the directives to ban those events.
The Qatar Charity on Monday distributed hygiene kits and pamphlets with health-related instructions in multiple languages to workers in construction sites as part of a campaign to increase awareness on ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Qatar. Several ministries cooperated in the campaign.
Qatar Airways resumes cargo flights to and from China to re-establish supply lines.
China says it has isolated coronavirus from bats near Wuhan market. "The coronavirus strain now infecting hundreds of thousands of people globally mutated from bats believed to have infected animals and people at a wild animal market in Wuhan. The exact origin of the virus, however, remains a mystery."
March 31: Qatar reports 59 new cases, bringing the total to 693. 20,058 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar. Later, Qatar reported its second death, while total confirmed cases jumped by 88 to 781.
Official says Qatar is one of the few countries that have taken all pre-emptive measures and precautions against the coronavirus to protect the health and safety of society.
Qatari officials reiterate that all quarantined employees, including expatriates, will receive their full salaries and other benefits without any deduction. Qatar will provide free treatment for all individuals infected with coronavirus, even those people working illegally.
Expats who have not been allowed to return to Qatar and whose residency permit has expired, will be able to renew their residency permits automatically without fines once the crisis ends.
Officials announce that any shop selling hot or cold beverages must close, including coffee shops and cafeterias.
Officials provide detailed instructions for workers in light of the outbreak in Qatar. Describes their rights and obligations under health laws and regulations.
Officials implement remote medical services that include online appointments with doctors, the issuance of sick leave certificates, and the refill of medications with their delivery to the patient's door.
The Ministry, working with private providers, has ensured phone and internet networks can handle increased demand for employees working from home and children taking online classes.
S&P Global Ratings affirms its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Qatar at ‘AA-/A-1+’. The outlook on the long-term rating is stable. S & P said: “In view of the sharp fall in international oil prices, we have significantly lowered our oil price assumptions for 2020 and 2021. Nevertheless, Qatar’s government and external balance sheets currently remain strong and provide a buffer to withstand external shocks.”
Known infections in the US exceed 100,000.
Global infections exceed 600,000. Spain's death toll jumped to 5,690, with 832 patients dying in the past 24 hours.
Iran reports 139 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,517. Total number of cases in the country rose over a 24-hour period by 3,076, to 35,408.
March 29: Qatar has 44 new cases, bringing total to 634. It has tested 18,877 people.
The Ministry instructs hospitals to suspend non-emergency services including those offered by dental clinics, dermatology and laser clinics, plastic surgery clinics, diet and slimming centers, and physiotherapy clinics. It also suspends non-emergency surgical procedures.
Officials sanitize the streets in the quarantined Industrial Area.
The Ministry, working with private providers, has ensured phone and internet networks can handle increased demand for employees working from home and students taking online classes.
Qatari officials receive 5,598 calls on its hotline reporting violations of the rules on social distancing.
Officials remind people about the need for social distancing and specifically state that the law prohibits congregational prayer, including roof-top Friday prayer meetings.
Ministry regulates marine vessel activities, and bans activities of excursion cruisers and tourist vessels.
The Qatar Central Bank launches an electronic payment system. It will reduce the need for people to handle paper money.
It also provides QR3 billion for the private sector in loan guarantees for "soft loans" to help companies pay salaries and rent.
The US reports 9,662 new cases, bringing the total to 133,240 and 2363 deaths. In the last 24 hours, 143 people died.
China says it found patient zero, a 57-year old female shrimp seller in Wuhan. Her diagnosis came Dec. 16, 2019. She thinks she got the virus by sharing a toilet that meat sellers in the market also used. On the other hand, a study in Lancet medical journal claims the first person diagnosed with COVID-19 was identified on December 1.
March 30: The Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital in Doha Industrial Area has been turned into an exclusive facility for treating patients with coronavirus. It will increase its capacity to 471 beds soon, with 221 in the ICU and 250 in the inpatient ward. It will also have the capacity to treat up to 150 emergency COVID-19 cases soon.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a circular on holding concerts, festivals, events and special gatherings that compels contractors and providers of these services to seek consensual agreements with clients following the directives to ban those events.
The Qatar Charity on Monday distributed hygiene kits and pamphlets with health-related instructions in multiple languages to workers in construction sites as part of a campaign to increase awareness on ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Qatar. Several ministries cooperated in the campaign.
Qatar Airways resumes cargo flights to and from China to re-establish supply lines.
China says it has isolated coronavirus from bats near Wuhan market. "The coronavirus strain now infecting hundreds of thousands of people globally mutated from bats believed to have infected animals and people at a wild animal market in Wuhan. The exact origin of the virus, however, remains a mystery."
March 31: Qatar reports 59 new cases, bringing the total to 693. 20,058 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar. Later, Qatar reported its second death, while total confirmed cases jumped by 88 to 781.
Official says Qatar is one of the few countries that have taken all pre-emptive measures and precautions against the coronavirus to protect the health and safety of society.
Qatari officials reiterate that all quarantined employees, including expatriates, will receive their full salaries and other benefits without any deduction. Qatar will provide free treatment for all individuals infected with coronavirus, even those people working illegally.
Expats who have not been allowed to return to Qatar and whose residency permit has expired, will be able to renew their residency permits automatically without fines once the crisis ends.
Qatar Airways announces no Qatari may fly out of Qatar after March 31 until further notice. (I am still waiting for the press release to post on its website.)
The rise in reported cases may reflect better testing according to this article. "Qatar has put in place a “new laboratory technique” to conduct a greater number of coronavirus tests and this might lead to a surge in the confirmed cases daily, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said on Monday. This will help in early detection of infected cases and then limiting the spread of the virus, the ministry added."
Oil prices dip to a price not seen for 18 years, trading as low as $21.65 per barrel.
The US reports a total of 188,881 confirmed cases, with 4,066 deaths.
UN calls the pandemic the biggest human crisis since World War II. 840,000 people are confirmed to have the viral infection. Well over 40,000 are known to have died, half of them in Italy and Spain.
April 1: Qatar reports 54 new cases, bringing the total to 835.
Qatar officials provide statistics on the persons getting ill and the seriousness of the illness. Eight-nine percent of cases are mild. Only 3 percent of the cases are serious. The remaining 8 percent of people have either recovered or died (two, both aged above 55). Currently, 37 people are in intensive care units, while 12 have been discharged. Among Qataris testing positive, 47 were women and 65 were men. Among the non-Qataris, 48 were women and 685 were men. The age breakdown is:
- 3% aged above 64 years
- 10% in between 55 and 64 years
- 18% aged 45-54 years
- 25% aged 35-44 years
- 31% aged 25-34 years
- 12% aged 15-24 years
Police continue to arrest Qataris who violate quarantine and list their names in newspapers and other media. They also arrested 10 people for violating the ban on gatherings in public places. The defendants were arrested for gathering in the sand dunes area in southern Qatar.
The Industrial Area will remain under lockdown until further notice.
Government and private companies instructed to shift 80 percent of workers to online work, with a limit of six hours per day. Exempt workers are:
- The security sector
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions
- The health sector
- Oil and gas sector
- Employees of government agencies whose nature of their work requires their presence, according to what is decided by the head of the competent authority
- Workers in major state projects
Updated information about workplace rules that officials released on April 15 here.
- Oil and gas sector
- Employees of government agencies whose nature of their work requires their presence, according to what is decided by the head of the competent authority
- Workers in major state projects
Updated information about workplace rules that officials released on April 15 here.
Qatar Airways continues to hold flights to severely affected countries due to entry restrictions implemented by many governments to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The airline will place a temporary hold on flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from April 1, 2020, Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) from April 4, and Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) from April 5. At the same time, Qatar Airways is working to ensure that those persons stranded abroad can fly home to their loved ones, including persons returning to Germany, the UK, France, Pakistan, and Oman.
Tenants in more souks will get rent relief, including Souk Waqif.
Tenants in more souks will get rent relief, including Souk Waqif.
Worldwide, total confirmed cases total 884,190, with 44,169 deaths.
April 2: Qatar reports 111 new cases, bringing the total to 949. It recorded a third death.
Qatar courts begin hearing cases remotely.
Officials instruct private companies, including construction companies, to reduce workers' hours and take a number of precautions to prevent the spread of the virus among workers.
Qatar Cool announced its decision to waive the district cooling fees, including consumption and capacity fees, for three months effective from March 1 2020 until May 31. The waiver applies solely to properties being used for certain commercial activities, including hotels, malls, restaurants and retails.
April 2: Qatar reports 111 new cases, bringing the total to 949. It recorded a third death.
Qatar courts begin hearing cases remotely.
Officials instruct private companies, including construction companies, to reduce workers' hours and take a number of precautions to prevent the spread of the virus among workers.
Qatar Cool announced its decision to waive the district cooling fees, including consumption and capacity fees, for three months effective from March 1 2020 until May 31. The waiver applies solely to properties being used for certain commercial activities, including hotels, malls, restaurants and retails.
Officials will distribute masks and sterilisers to Qatari citizens through the different branches of the Al Meera supermarket. The holder of each Qatari ration card may buy a 20-piece box of masks for QR40 and a 25-piece box for QR50, as well as two 500-ml hand-sanitizer bottles for QR14.57 per bottle and three 80-ml bottles for QR7.75 apiece.
Worldwide, infections exceeded 1 million with deaths exceeding 50,000.
The United States now accounts for around a quarter of all known infections around the globe, and its death toll reached 6,000 people. More than 1,100 of them happened in the last day. White House experts say between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could ultimately die from the disease. Around 85 percent of Americans are under some form of stay-at-home order.
April 3: Qatar reports 126 new cases, bringing the total to 1,075.
Qatar reports on reduced mobility to restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, museums, libraries, and movie theaters showing a decline of 51 percent. Grocery and pharmacy visits by the public declined by 25 percent, while visits to parks fell by 34 percent. Visits to transit stations decreased by 52 percent while that to workplaces declined by 31 percent. The only area in which there is an increase in mobility is residential. As people are urged to stay at home, residential mobility trend in Qatar jumped by 22 percent.
In Ecuador, the port city of Guayaquil has registered about half of all Ecuador's coronavirus cases and patients have overwhelmed the city's hospitals. In addition, a nationwide curfew and bureaucratic red tape have hindered the work of undertakers. As a result, the bodies of people who have died in their homes due to COVID-19 and other illnesses often lie for days, some up to five days, wrapped in bed sheets and plastic and decomposing in the tropical heat as relatives watch over them.
April 4: Qatar reports 250 new cases, bringing the total to 1,325. Officials have tested 31,951 people for the virus in Qatar.
Qatar is ready to use a set of rapid testing equipment to combat the spread of the virus.
Worldwide, cases increased to 1,180,952 with 63,893 deaths. Of the 307,764 "closed cases," 21 percent were deaths. Of active cases, 5 percent are serious or critical.
Spain reports 7,026 new cases, bringing total to 124,736. Deaths rose by 809 to 11,744. Total cases are now higher than Italy’s 119,827. The prime minister plans to ask officials to extend the lock-down for two more weeks.
The US reported 300,443 cases with total deaths of 11,744. In the lats 24 hours, cases increased by 23,282, and deaths increased by 546.
The US Center for Disease Control recommended that all people in US wear face masks, even cloth masks.
April 5: Qatar reports 279 new cases, bringing the total to 1,604. 35,747 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar. It also reported the fourth death associated with the virus.
The government of Qatar is offering vegetables for free to those who are struggling to eat. The Red Crescent Qatar and Katara Farmers Forum, in partnership with the company, distributes about five tonnes of vegetables per day. The Indian Embassy Community Center will deliver 100 packets daily through ICBF.
Qatar begins using robots equipped with six cameras to monitor people violating the ban on public gatherings.
Qatar officials clarify that recent increase in the number of new cases reflects better testing capabilities. The capacity of central laboratory has increased from 700 to 1000 tests per day to 3,500 tests per day.
The ministry issues guidelines and disinfecting techniques to help people living with a person confined to home quarantine maintain a healthy environment for other family members.
April 6: Qatar reports 228 new cases, bringing the total to 1,832. 38,108 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar.
Qatar University adopts a number of new policies to ensure students are not prejudiced by the move to distance learning.
Qatari officials suspend vehicle inspections until further notice.
Ministry requires ports to tighten preventative measures.
US reports 356,007 confirmed cases with 10,467 deaths, adding 851 cases in the last 24 hours. The death rate is 2.9 percent.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that the world will not return to "normal" after this acute stage of the pandemic. Even when a vaccine is developed, he said things may never return to what was considered normal before the virus, because it will always be a looming threat in society. He previously said that the virus will likely come back every year, especially without a vaccine to prevent future outbreaks.
Worldwide, confirmed cases increased to 1,328,786 with 73,801 deaths. Of "closed cases," 21 percent were deaths. Of "active cases," 5 percent were serious or critical.
April 7: Qatar reports 225 new cases, bring total to 2,057. It reports two new deaths, bringing to the total to 6. Heath care providers have tested 41,818 people.
Qatar Pharma will manufacture 6 million surgical masks by the end of April 2020.
UN commends Qatar for its efforts at home and abroad to contain the virus.
In France, 833 people died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 8,911. Officials state that France has not yet peaked in its viral infections despite widespread social distancing.
Helpful phone numbers:
Saudi Arabia reports 2,795 cases and 41 deaths, the highest in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), despite halting all passenger flights, suspending most commercial activities, and imposing a 24-hour curfew in major cities, including the capital, Riyadh. In a country with a population of 30 million people, it warns that infections could reach 200,000.
In Britain, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in the intensive care unit of a London hospital, where he is being treated for coronavirus and is “receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance.
In the US, the daily death toll from coronavirus surpassed 1,800 on Tuesday, marking a new global high for the number of deaths linked to the virus in one country in a single day. African-Americans and Latinos are especially hard hit by the pandemic. They are dying at twice the rate of white or Asian patients in the US.
April 8:
Qatar officials distribute information on how to safely handle delivered purchases.
On Wednesday, U.S. surpassed 400,000 confirmed cases, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide. Confirmed cases are five times the number confirmed in China. US doubled its number of confirmed cases in just a week.
Wuhan lifts lock-down after 11 weeks. Return to "normal" any time soon is unlikely.
April 9: Qatar reports 153 new cases, bring total to 2,210. Death s remain at 6. Officials have tested 41,818 people. Later in the day, officials reported 166 new cases, bringing the total to 2,376, with 43,144 people tested.
Qatar creates capacity to put 12,500 people in quarantine with two new centers.
Qatar plans to offer a phone app that signals status of phone owner and facilitates communication about illness status. The app would help officials enforce quarantine requirements; reach, as quickly as possible, the persons suspected of being infected and provide the necessary health care; and alert users about possible contacts with infected persons. The app will color tag each app user and show if he or she has been tested, and if so, the results of the test, using a QR code. The system sounds like the app launched in China.
Qatari officials have begun planning the gradual opening of the Industrial Area quarantine. The area has been under lock-down since March 17.
Qatari officials close more businesses on Friday and Saturday, leaving a short list of businesses and shops that may remain open. Exempt businesses that may continue operation are: Food and supply outlets (hypermarket, supermarket, and groceries); vegetable sales outlets; restaurants (delivery only); bakeries; pharmacies; telecommunications companies (located in the hypermarket); home maintenance companies (electricity, plumbing, and electronics); petroleum stations; factories; clinics (committed to the decision of the Ministry of Public Health); construction contractors building state projects; companies operating in the hotel sector; and logistic services companies, freight companies, companies operating in ports and airports, and customs services.
New York reports highest daily death toll so far at 779. More people in New York and New Jersey have died — a total of 7,772 — than in the rest of the United States combined. Another grim distinction: New York State, with 149,316 confirmed cases, has had more people test positive for the virus than any country outside the United States, including Italy and Spain, the two other countries the pandemic has hit hardest. Hospitalization figures continued to show the curve of infection flattening in the state. The number of virus patients in hospitals increased 3 percent since Tuesday, the fifth consecutive day of increases below 10 percent. By contrast, 25 percent increases have been typical in recent weeks.
US reports 468,895 confirmed cases with 16,697 deaths. The country’s death toll, which now far exceeds the number of people known to have died from the virus in China, is now increasing by well over 1,000 each day. The US outbreak, now the highest number of known cases in the world, looks vastly different than it did a month or even a week ago. At the start of March, with extremely limited testing available, only 70 cases had been reported in the US, most of them tied to overseas travel. Since the start of April, the number of deaths has grown by thousands, driven in part by doublings in death totals in Indiana, Florida and other states.
Worldwide, confirmed cases increased to 1,605,234 with 95,751 deaths.
April 10: Qatar reports 136 new cases, bringing total to 2,512. Health officials have tested 45,339 people.
Qatar launches an app allowing users to get notification if they have come in contact with an infected person. The app is called Ehteraz.
April 11: Qatar reports 216 new cases, bringing the total to 2,728. Officials have tested 47,751 persons.
In the US, new coronavirus deaths surpassed 2,000 per day on Friday, the highest daily tally since the start of the outbreak. The total confirmed dead from the virus is now at 18,586, second only to Italy, and the confirmed worldwide death toll has reached 100,000. Meanwhile, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he hopes for “a real degree of normality” by November.
The United States now accounts for around a quarter of all known infections around the globe, and its death toll reached 6,000 people. More than 1,100 of them happened in the last day. White House experts say between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could ultimately die from the disease. Around 85 percent of Americans are under some form of stay-at-home order.
April 3: Qatar reports 126 new cases, bringing the total to 1,075.
Qatar reports on reduced mobility to restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, museums, libraries, and movie theaters showing a decline of 51 percent. Grocery and pharmacy visits by the public declined by 25 percent, while visits to parks fell by 34 percent. Visits to transit stations decreased by 52 percent while that to workplaces declined by 31 percent. The only area in which there is an increase in mobility is residential. As people are urged to stay at home, residential mobility trend in Qatar jumped by 22 percent.
In Ecuador, the port city of Guayaquil has registered about half of all Ecuador's coronavirus cases and patients have overwhelmed the city's hospitals. In addition, a nationwide curfew and bureaucratic red tape have hindered the work of undertakers. As a result, the bodies of people who have died in their homes due to COVID-19 and other illnesses often lie for days, some up to five days, wrapped in bed sheets and plastic and decomposing in the tropical heat as relatives watch over them.
April 4: Qatar reports 250 new cases, bringing the total to 1,325. Officials have tested 31,951 people for the virus in Qatar.
Qatar is ready to use a set of rapid testing equipment to combat the spread of the virus.
Worldwide, cases increased to 1,180,952 with 63,893 deaths. Of the 307,764 "closed cases," 21 percent were deaths. Of active cases, 5 percent are serious or critical.
Spain reports 7,026 new cases, bringing total to 124,736. Deaths rose by 809 to 11,744. Total cases are now higher than Italy’s 119,827. The prime minister plans to ask officials to extend the lock-down for two more weeks.
The US reported 300,443 cases with total deaths of 11,744. In the lats 24 hours, cases increased by 23,282, and deaths increased by 546.
The US Center for Disease Control recommended that all people in US wear face masks, even cloth masks.
April 5: Qatar reports 279 new cases, bringing the total to 1,604. 35,747 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar. It also reported the fourth death associated with the virus.
The government of Qatar is offering vegetables for free to those who are struggling to eat. The Red Crescent Qatar and Katara Farmers Forum, in partnership with the company, distributes about five tonnes of vegetables per day. The Indian Embassy Community Center will deliver 100 packets daily through ICBF.
Qatar begins using robots equipped with six cameras to monitor people violating the ban on public gatherings.
Qatar officials clarify that recent increase in the number of new cases reflects better testing capabilities. The capacity of central laboratory has increased from 700 to 1000 tests per day to 3,500 tests per day.
The ministry issues guidelines and disinfecting techniques to help people living with a person confined to home quarantine maintain a healthy environment for other family members.
April 6: Qatar reports 228 new cases, bringing the total to 1,832. 38,108 people have been tested for the virus in Qatar.
Qatar University adopts a number of new policies to ensure students are not prejudiced by the move to distance learning.
Qatari officials suspend vehicle inspections until further notice.
Ministry requires ports to tighten preventative measures.
US reports 356,007 confirmed cases with 10,467 deaths, adding 851 cases in the last 24 hours. The death rate is 2.9 percent.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that the world will not return to "normal" after this acute stage of the pandemic. Even when a vaccine is developed, he said things may never return to what was considered normal before the virus, because it will always be a looming threat in society. He previously said that the virus will likely come back every year, especially without a vaccine to prevent future outbreaks.
Worldwide, confirmed cases increased to 1,328,786 with 73,801 deaths. Of "closed cases," 21 percent were deaths. Of "active cases," 5 percent were serious or critical.
April 7: Qatar reports 225 new cases, bring total to 2,057. It reports two new deaths, bringing to the total to 6. Heath care providers have tested 41,818 people.
Qatar Pharma will manufacture 6 million surgical masks by the end of April 2020.
UN commends Qatar for its efforts at home and abroad to contain the virus.
In France, 833 people died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 8,911. Officials state that France has not yet peaked in its viral infections despite widespread social distancing.
Helpful phone numbers:
- Emergency number: 999
- Covid-19 hotline: 16000
- Complaints regarding quarantine and noncompliance: 4457 9999
- Report worker and labour complaints: Send SMS to 92757, write 5 followed by your ID or visa number
- Deaf Emergency Services: 992
Saudi Arabia reports 2,795 cases and 41 deaths, the highest in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), despite halting all passenger flights, suspending most commercial activities, and imposing a 24-hour curfew in major cities, including the capital, Riyadh. In a country with a population of 30 million people, it warns that infections could reach 200,000.
In Britain, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in the intensive care unit of a London hospital, where he is being treated for coronavirus and is “receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance.
In the US, the daily death toll from coronavirus surpassed 1,800 on Tuesday, marking a new global high for the number of deaths linked to the virus in one country in a single day. African-Americans and Latinos are especially hard hit by the pandemic. They are dying at twice the rate of white or Asian patients in the US.
April 8:
Qatar officials distribute information on how to safely handle delivered purchases.
On Wednesday, U.S. surpassed 400,000 confirmed cases, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide. Confirmed cases are five times the number confirmed in China. US doubled its number of confirmed cases in just a week.
Wuhan lifts lock-down after 11 weeks. Return to "normal" any time soon is unlikely.
April 9: Qatar reports 153 new cases, bring total to 2,210. Death s remain at 6. Officials have tested 41,818 people. Later in the day, officials reported 166 new cases, bringing the total to 2,376, with 43,144 people tested.
Qatar creates capacity to put 12,500 people in quarantine with two new centers.
Qatar plans to offer a phone app that signals status of phone owner and facilitates communication about illness status. The app would help officials enforce quarantine requirements; reach, as quickly as possible, the persons suspected of being infected and provide the necessary health care; and alert users about possible contacts with infected persons. The app will color tag each app user and show if he or she has been tested, and if so, the results of the test, using a QR code. The system sounds like the app launched in China.
Qatari officials have begun planning the gradual opening of the Industrial Area quarantine. The area has been under lock-down since March 17.
Qatari officials close more businesses on Friday and Saturday, leaving a short list of businesses and shops that may remain open. Exempt businesses that may continue operation are: Food and supply outlets (hypermarket, supermarket, and groceries); vegetable sales outlets; restaurants (delivery only); bakeries; pharmacies; telecommunications companies (located in the hypermarket); home maintenance companies (electricity, plumbing, and electronics); petroleum stations; factories; clinics (committed to the decision of the Ministry of Public Health); construction contractors building state projects; companies operating in the hotel sector; and logistic services companies, freight companies, companies operating in ports and airports, and customs services.
US reports 468,895 confirmed cases with 16,697 deaths. The country’s death toll, which now far exceeds the number of people known to have died from the virus in China, is now increasing by well over 1,000 each day. The US outbreak, now the highest number of known cases in the world, looks vastly different than it did a month or even a week ago. At the start of March, with extremely limited testing available, only 70 cases had been reported in the US, most of them tied to overseas travel. Since the start of April, the number of deaths has grown by thousands, driven in part by doublings in death totals in Indiana, Florida and other states.
Worldwide, confirmed cases increased to 1,605,234 with 95,751 deaths.
April 10: Qatar reports 136 new cases, bringing total to 2,512. Health officials have tested 45,339 people.
Qatar launches an app allowing users to get notification if they have come in contact with an infected person. The app is called Ehteraz.
April 11: Qatar reports 216 new cases, bringing the total to 2,728. Officials have tested 47,751 persons.
In the US, new coronavirus deaths surpassed 2,000 per day on Friday, the highest daily tally since the start of the outbreak. The total confirmed dead from the virus is now at 18,586, second only to Italy, and the confirmed worldwide death toll has reached 100,000. Meanwhile, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he hopes for “a real degree of normality” by November.
New York health officials have started burying unclaimed bodies in mass graves.
April 12: Qatar reports 251 new cases, bringing the total to 2,979 confirmed infections. On person died, bringing total deaths to 7 people. The deceased was a 42-year old with pre-existing conditions. Qatar has tested 49,102 people.
In the US, 20,000 Americans are dead. US accounts for 19% of deaths worldwide, exceeding deaths in Italy and China. U.S. accounts for 30% of worldwide coronavirus cases. US population composes just 4% of the world population. US mortality rate continues to creep up -- now 3.9%, was 1.5% at 1,000 deaths. The mortality rate of the 1918 flu was 2.5% and the seasonal flu is less than 0.1%. US now accounts for roughly 1 in 3 new worldwide deaths each day. Yesterday, was the deadliest day so far with 2,035 American deaths. Today will likely top that as more states start to see a spike in infections. Trump has still not issued a national lock-down and has encouraged people to attend church on Easter Sunday. Many GOP governors have classified congregational live church services as essential services.
Top oil-producing countries agreed on Sunday to record output cuts in order to boost plummeting oil prices due to the new coronavirus crisis and a Russia-Saudi price war.
April 13: Qatar reports 252 new cases, bringing total confirmed cases to 3,231. Officials have tested 50,828 people.
As hand sanitizer begins to appear again on store shelves, pharmacies will extend face mask distribution to non-Qatari residents. They will sell 20 surgical masks, at QR 40, to residents presenting a Qatar ID card.
Police arrested four people who violated the social gathering ban, reinforcing its zero tolerance policy.
Qatari officials continue to set the price for vegetables, fruits, and fish.
West Virginia, US, is a state with a population about the size of Qatar. Average household income is $43,469/year. Many people living there have pre-existing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Quite a few people smoke or are former smokers. As of today, the state reports 611 total confirmed cases and 8 deaths. They confirmed the first case on March 13. They have tested only 16,251 people.
April 14: Qatar reports 197 new cases, bring total confirmed cases to 3,428. Officials have tested 52,622 people.
Officials plan to impose penalties against a contracting company that did not adhere to the rule about worker seating on transportation buses.
Ministry increases the pre-cautionary measures employers must take. Employers must identify "the symptoms of the virus, its transmission methods, and [enhance] environmental cleaning of workplaces by installing hand sanitizers, disinfecting workplace and providing the required personal protection tools, in addition to measuring the temperature of employees using non-touch device, maintaining a safe distance, suspending the use of fingerprint scan, stop receiving visitors and canceling external meeting and using technological solutions.
The guidelines also include stopping the use of external companies to provide food and drink for workers and a recommendation to the Mental Health Service, by circulating to employees all facts related to coronavirus and work flexibility, as employers have to be flexible and enable individuals to work from home and abide by national directives that include guidelines and procedures that the employer must take in the event of an infection of one of the employees." More information here.
Additional rules govern behavior of employees designed to increase safety and security.
Qatari officials reinforce that all residents of Qatar have access to free healthcare, especially persons infected with the novel coronavirus.
The Ministry of Education launches a distance learning platform.
The managers of Souq Waqif deny the rumor about its partial opening some time in the near future.
An international survey reveals high levels of trust among Qatari residents in the government and its handling of he pandemic. It found Qatar among the top five countries of the world with respect to perceptions of truthfulness, with less than 5% believing that the government has been untruthful about the outbreak. "When asked if survey participants believe the government is doing enough, over 20% of respondents believe the government’s response has been insufficient [sic]. However almost 50% believe the public’s response has been insufficient [sic?], despite the majority of people reporting that they have practiced social distancing in the past week. More than 90% of people said they did not attend social gatherings, almost 90% reported staying at home in the previous week, and less than [sic?] 80% said they kept a distance of at least 2 meters from other people. The vast majority of people (more than 90%) said they are washing their hands more frequently and almost 95% of people said they would inform someone if they felt sick." [I have asked for clarification of some of the cited numbers.]
A study published in the journal Science predicts the need for social distancing until 2022. For a summary of the study, see here.
April 15: Qatar reports 283 new cases, bringing the total to 3,711, with deaths remaining at 7. Officials tested 54,484 people.
Qatar Media Corp creates dedicated Twitter account for coronavirus updates.
Qatar Traffic Department distributes masks and gloves and provides information.
Qatar Health Minister describes a four-prong national strategy as "creating awareness among the community, conducting screening, tracing the sources of infection, and providing enough beds in hospitals."
The ministry extended and updated rules on employment relationships. The ministry also pointed out steps to be followed when employers have to terminate job contracts.
First: Workers continue to receive their basic salaries and other allowances, such as food and housing, as per their contract in sectors, activities and services whose businesses have not stopped due to the precautionary measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Second: For the sectors, activities and services suspended due to the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), employers and workers can agree that workers take unpaid leave, apply their annual leave, reduce working hours, or agree to temporarily reduce the salaries, as follows:
- In cases where employers provide food and / or housing directly, they must continue to provide adequate food and housing free of charge to workers. Employers and workers cannot agree to cancel these benefits.
- In cases where employers offer food and / or housing allowances, they must continue to provide these allowances, and employers and workers cannot agree to reduce these allowances.
- All workers who are isolated or quarantined who are receiving treatment shall receive their basic salary and allowances regardless of whether they are entitled to sick leave or not.
- Employers may terminate employment contracts, based on the contract concluded between them and in full compliance with the provisions of the Labour Law, while adhering to the notice period and paying all outstanding benefits, including the return ticket.
- During this period and even in cases where workers contracts are terminated, employers are required to provide workers with adequate food and housing free of charge, or equivalent cash allowances, until the workers repatriation procedures are secured at the employer's expense.US Center for Disease control issues a draft of the guidelines for "re-opening" the economy after various stay-at-home orders.
Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases passed 2 million , according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University, though experts caution that the virus has all likelihood infected far more people. The virus has reached all continents except Antarctica and officially killed more than 120,000 people, including more than 26,000 in the United States. It took about four months for the virus to infect 1 million people and only 12 days for that number to double.
Clinicians around the world are seeing evidence that the coronavirus isn’t just destroying lungs; it may be causing heart inflammation, acute kidney disease, neurological malfunction, blood clots, intestinal damage, and liver problems, as well.
WHO issues guidelines for ending lock-downs:
Any government that wants to start lifting restrictions . . . must first meet six conditions:
1. Disease transmission is under control;
2. Health systems are able to "detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact";
3. Hot spot risks are minimized in vulnerable places, such as nursing homes;
4. Schools, workplaces and other essential places have established preventive measures;
5. The risk of importing new cases "can be managed"; and
6. Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to live under a new normal.April 16: Qatar reports 392 new cases, bringing the total to 4,103. Officials have tested 56,381 people.
Despite this increase in new cases from the day before, government officials said that infections had peaked in Qatar.
Ministry refers three contracting companies for investigation after finding them in violation of precautionary measures designed to prevent transmission of the virus on transportation buses.
Evidence emerges that virus may have escaped from one of two labs located in Wuhan, China that had drawn scientific concerns about their safety and capacity to handle bat-sourced coronaviruses. But, here is the rebuttal. No evidence of accidental release.
The UAE announces the roll-out of a police helmet that can detect fever at a safe distance, among other monitoring and recognition capabilities. The UAE’s outbreak has been worsening, with the number of cases doubling three times just in the last two weeks, reaching 5,365. Officials report 33 deaths, a low number compared to other countries and attributed to the general youth of population, extensive testing, and good health infrastructure.
In the US. more than 28,000 people have died in recent weeks during the pandemic. It saw the highest one-day total so far with 2,400 deaths. COVID-19 may soon become the leading cause of death in the US. About 5,500 deaths have been among residents of nursing homes.
April 17: Qatar reports 560 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 4,663 infections. Officials have tested 58,328. This is the highest number of confirmed cases since Feb. 29, when officials confirmed the first case in Qatar. In the last two days, officials have tested at least 3,844 people. Officials explain the increase as evidence that the pandemic in Qatar is reaching its peak and more people coming in for testing when they experience symptoms of the illness. This increase in the confirmed cases may also tie to the next story.
Qatar, according to foreign press outlets, has confirmed 8 infections among construction workers at World Cup construction sites. If true, this new cluster of cases may explain the jump in new cases yesterday, from about 250 over the past two weeks, to 392. Officials likely tested all workers at the two locations and discovered additional infections. I wonder if we will see a quarantine of the worker housing and a temporary cessation of work on the stadiums for the next two or three weeks.
This story may also tie to the April 16 story about the action taken against contracting companies who had violated guidelines on work place social distancing, especially on transportation buses.
At the same time, the officials stated that infections had peaked in Qatar. Stay tuned.
Singapore is also reporting a spike of infections among foreign workers after signs that the country had curbed the virus.
In the US, as Trump pushes re-opening the economy by May 1 despite 678,210 confirmed infections and 34,641 deaths, most Americans prefer prolonging the lock-down to preserve lives. "New polling from Pew Research Center suggests that Americans are more likely to side with the experts than with Trump. By a 2-to-1 margin, they are more concerned that distancing measures will be rescinded too quickly than too slowly." In the US, confirmed cases doubled in 13 days, since April 4. Deaths tripled since that date.
Worldwide, countries report 2,196,567 confirmed cases and 147,508 deaths.
April 18: Qatar reports 345 new cases, totaling 5,008, with one death, bringing total deaths to 8. Officials tested 60,139 persons so far. "The Ministry of Public Health states that the noticeable increase in the number of confirmed new cases of infection is due to several reasons, including the fact that the spread of the virus has started to enter into the peak stage, which is the highest wave that affects the country, which may continue to increase for a period before it starts to decline. It is also due to the steady increase in efforts of the Ministry of Public Health and its medical teams to track the transmission chains of the Coronavirus and conduct intensive and proactive investigations of groups of contacts with people who were diagnosed with the disease previously. This has contributed to the early detection of many cases of infection and reducing the spread of the virus."
Officials reveal a 150-bed hospital nearing completion in the Industrial Area for workers placed in quarantine. Next to it, is a 40-bed emergency center.
Qatar Airways repatriates 436 Qataris from Jordon.
Ministry announces action against employees who abused a "violator." The person capturing the incident may also face legal action.
Quarantined workers now have access to an online platform -- Connecting for Care -- that provides information and support in their native languages. The project aims to build bridges between the different members of society, improve literacy through training tools, and contribute to the social well-being of all parties. Connecting For Care is a collaboration between Qatar Foundation (QF), with the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) – QF’s global health initiative – playing an important role; Education Above All Foundation through its program Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) ; and Modaris (Dlala Smart), a local EdTech company that was founded by an alumnus of QF partner university Texas A&M University at Qatar. Officials reported on April 29 that the platform has gotten an overwhelming response from workers, but can handle more volume.
April 19: Qatar reports 440 new cases, bringing total to 5,448. "Most of the new cases are due to migrant workers who had been identified through tracing and were found to have mixed with infected cases, while the lowest percentage of the new cases came from citizens and residents who had contracted the virus from family members."
Ooredoo installs a fever-sensing camera at one of its Qatar locations. The camera also detects persons who are not wearing a mask. They plan to install the cameras at other locations as soon as possible.
Specialists at the Qatar Calendar House announce that Ramadan will begin on Thursday, April 24. The pandemic will likely change many extended family practices that come with this religious observance. Qatar officials ask people to adhere to pandemic precautions in place.
The US reports, 738,923 confirmed infections and 39,015 deaths. Covid-19 is arguably the leading cause of death in the United States right now. The virus has killed more than 1,800 Americans almost every day since April 7, and the official toll may be an undercount. By comparison, heart disease typically kills 1,774 Americans a day, and cancer kills 1,641. The US is experiencing up to 30,000 confirmed infections per day.
Twenty US experts in public health, medicine, epidemiology, and history provided their predictions about the future. "Some felt that American ingenuity, once fully engaged, might well produce advances to ease the burdens. The path forward depends on factors that are certainly difficult but doable, they said: a carefully staggered approach to reopening, widespread testing and surveillance, a treatment that works, adequate resources for health care providers — and eventually an effective vaccine.
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[On the other hand:] “We face a doleful future,” said Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg, a former president of the National Academy of Medicine. He and others foresaw an unhappy population trapped indoors for months, with the most vulnerable possibly quarantined for far longer. They worried that a vaccine would initially elude scientists, that weary citizens would abandon restrictions despite the risks, that the virus would be with us from now on. “My optimistic side says the virus will ease off in the summer and a vaccine will arrive like the cavalry,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University medical school. “But I’m learning to guard against my essentially optimistic nature.” Most experts believed that once the crisis was over, the nation and its economy would revive quickly. But there would be no escaping a period of intense pain.
Exactly how the pandemic will end depends in part on medical advances still to come. It will also depend on how individual Americans behave in the interim. If we scrupulously protect ourselves and our loved ones, more of us will live. If we underestimate the virus, it will find us."
Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 2,33,944, with 160,820 deaths.
April 20: Qatar reports 567 new cases, bring the total to 6,015. Officials have tested 64,620 people, with 2,082 tests taken in the last 24 hours. One person, a 56-year old with chronic conditions, has died, bringing the total to 9 persons.
Qatar officials announce a gradual opening of the Industrial Area that has been under quarantine since March 17. It will begin on April 22, starting from Streets No. 1 and 2 at Al Wakalat street.
Visitors to Qatar whose visas expire may stay without penalties if they cannot return home because their home countries have banned flights into their airports.
April 21: Qatar reports 518 new cases, bringing total to 6,533. Officials have tested 66,725 persons, with 2,105 tests taken in the last 24 hours.
Restaurants and cafes in Qatar can no longer allow people to enter or stand outside their businesses. Customers may only use delivery services.
Ministry cuts the price of seafood and fish.
The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs has recorded violations by 11 companies operating in various sectors, such as trade, contracting, agricultural, irrigation, electrical and mechanical services, technical services, transportation, supplies, and facilities management at a residential location in the Al Kharra area. The companies were not adhering to the precautionary measures, by failing to reduce the population density of workers' housing and by providing safe distances between workers when boarding or getting off the buses.
Qatari police continue to arrest people who violate ban on gathering in groups.
The Al Meera grocery chain now requires all persons in the store to wear masks.
Municipal officials in Doha ask people to properly dispose of masks and gloves.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control reported that up to 20 percent of virus cases are among doctors and nurses. The CDC researched 49,000 coronvavirus cases between Feb. 12 and April 9 and found that 9,300 of them, 19%, involved health care workers, according to the Associated Press. Data the CDC released Tuesday indicates 27 health care professionals have died.
April 22: Qatar reports 608 new cases, bringing the total to 7,141. A 55-year old resident dies bringing death toll to 10. Officials have tested 70,012 people.
People shopping, working in the service sector (including government employees), and construction workers must wears masks.
The ban on congregational prayers at mosques in Qatar will continue. Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque is exempted from this decision, in which Friday prayers will be exclusively held in the presence of only 40 people - including the imams and mosque's employees, as well as isha and Taraweeh prayers during the blessed month of Ramadan, in the presence of the imam and four of the mosque's employees, taking into account the health precautions directed by the Ministry of Public Health. These prayers will be transmitted to the public on television and radio channels.
Qatari officials issue guidelines governing the rights of workers working online. Teleworking conditions of employment should remain the same as before. The employee’s wage and benefits, including the provision of food and accommodation or the payment of allowances, should not change as a result of teleworking. The guidelines also discuss working hours.
Ministry of Public health offers older people advice on how to avoid infection.
Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has develops a new COVID-19 virus testing method. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to a global demand on materials to test individuals for the virus, which is usually done in three steps: first, by obtaining a nasal swab sample from the individual being tested; secondly, extracting all RNA from the swab sample; and step three, by testing the extracted RNA for the presence of the virus, usually using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Over the past two weeks, the teams co-developed and extensively validated their custom, in-house RNA extraction method using alternative test components. The team implemented a solution that not only matched the sensitivity of standard clinical methods being used worldwide, but also required less reagents and running time. Importantly, the entire mechanism was established in a controlled lab setting, making it possible to implement right away.
Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has develops a new COVID-19 virus testing method. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to a global demand on materials to test individuals for the virus, which is usually done in three steps: first, by obtaining a nasal swab sample from the individual being tested; secondly, extracting all RNA from the swab sample; and step three, by testing the extracted RNA for the presence of the virus, usually using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Over the past two weeks, the teams co-developed and extensively validated their custom, in-house RNA extraction method using alternative test components. The team implemented a solution that not only matched the sensitivity of standard clinical methods being used worldwide, but also required less reagents and running time. Importantly, the entire mechanism was established in a controlled lab setting, making it possible to implement right away.
Experts now believe that the death on Feb. 6, 2020 of a 57-year old woman in California from an apparent heart attack was instead a COVID-19 death. As the possible Patient Zero, the death could mark the start of community infection in the US. The unexpected finding makes clear that the virus was circulating in the Bay Area of California as early as January, even before the federal government began restricting travel from China on Feb. 2. It also raises new questions about where else the virus might have been spreading undetected. See the entry for April 24 about evidence that COVID-19 causes heart failure.
April 23: Qatar reports 623 new cases, for a total of 7,764. Officials have tested 73,457 people, with 3,445 test in the last 24 hours.
WHO officials again praise Qatar's response to the pandemic. Measures included conducting thermal screening at the airport, providing appropriate treatments to the infected people, tracing the contacts of positive cases of coronavirus in the community, and quarantining them under medical care.
Officials ask residents to adhere to precautionary measures during Ramadan, which starts on April 24, 2020.
Dermatologists are reporting that an early sign of the infection, especially among younger people, may be "COVID toes." A persons toes will be red or purple, painful to the touch, and perhaps hot.
April 24: Qatar reports 761 new cases, bringing total to 8,525. Officials have tested 75,888 people, with 2,431 coming in the last 24 hours. Recoveries stand at 809 patients.
Science Magazine describes the accumulating evidence that the virus attacks organs other than the lungs, including heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and intestines. The date is not yet clear on whether these organ failures are caused by the virus, by the cytokine storm, or the drugs used to treat the infection.
US reports 869,000 confirmed cases, and 49,960 deaths.
Worldwide, the novel coronavirus has infected at least 2.6 million people, and caused over 180,000 deaths.
April 25: Qatar reports another day of increasing infections. It reported 833 new cases, bringing the total to 9,358. Officials have tested 79,705 people, with 3,817 tests taken in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate of 929 people is a bit less than 10 percent of total reported infections.
Officials ask people to have no more than two people in a private vehicle, except for families. They call need to suppress the spread of the virus a national and moral duty.
WHO states that no evidence exists that infection confers immunity on survivors. The herd immunity theory (without vaccines) relied on the assumption that people who got infected and survived would not get a second infection.
Research shows that younger and middle-aged adults are dying from strokes linked to the viral infection.
US reports 898,000 confirmed cases, indicating that at least 1 in every 370 US residents has contracted the infection. Of those cases, 51,000 people have died, making those deaths one-quarter of deaths worldwide.
Worldwide, the virus has infected at least 2.8 million people, and caused 197,412 confirmed deaths.
April 26: Qatar reports 929 new cases, bringing total to 10,287. Officials have tested 82,289 persons, with 2,584 tests in the last 24 hours. Officials report 1,012 recoveries.
April 27: Qatar reports 957 new cases, for a total of 11,244. It reports no new deaths. Officials have tested 85,709 people, with 3,420 tests taken in the last 23 hours.
The Ministry has intensified inspections at labor accommodations to ensure enough space for the workers and needed hygiene. Most of the violations at labor camps are related to housing more workers than their capacity. For example, an apartment designed for 5 to 6 workers is illegally housing 10. This round of inspections covered camps located in Umm Ghuwailina, Najma, Aslata, Doha Al Jadeeda, Ghanam Al Qadim, Fereej Bin Abdula Aziz, and Matar Al Qadeem.
Officials again reminded residents to adhere to precautions during Ramadan.
Shoppers and customer service workers must wear a mask. Violators may face the penalties stipulated in Qatar Decree Law No. 17 of 1990 regarding the prevention of infectious diseases, by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine of no more than QR 200,000 or one of these two penalties.
US reports 756 new cases, bringing the total to 987,916. It has had 55,425 deaths.
Worldwide, confirmed infections totaled 3,015,411, with deaths at 207,934.
Psychologists and researchers explain the reasons why some people will not adhere to stay-at-home orders. They include optimism bias, narcissistic personality disorder, denial, work requirements, mental and physical health concerns, and a belief that actions such as hand washing are enough to protect themselves from the virus.
April 28: Qatar reports 677 new cases, bringing total to 11,921. Officials have tested 88,607 people, with 2,898 tests takenin the last 24 hours. Recovered cases stands at 1,134 (less than 10 percent of total cases).
Qatar officials have designated four health centers for testing and five hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Qatar has established quarantine facilities in 30 hotels.
The Ministry has announced that expiring commercial licenses and registrations will automatically renew for six months.
The Ministry has announced that dentists may offer dental services only on an urgent basis.
Lulu (the Walmart of Qatar), with 11 stores in Qatar, has adopted more prevention practices to keep shoppers and employees safe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has issued updated symptoms of an infection wit coronovirus. They are:
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
CDC data suggests that deaths in US are substantially under-reported. A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows 33,756 Covid-19 deaths and 32,325 from all other causes since Jan. 1. Other causes include heart attacks, accidents, overdoses, cancer and a wide variety of other fatal diseases. It also could include people who died of Covid-19 at home but whose deaths were incorrectly attributed to another cause. The numbers are almost certainly a substantial undercount of the actual total. On April 29, the death toll from the coronavirus alone passed 60,000 since Feb. 29, according to data collected by The Washington Post.
Sweden reports the highest deaths in a century after choosing to to engage in a lock-down strategy. Between April 6 and April 12, 2,505 Swedes died, or 358 deaths per day. It confirmed over 19,000 cases. Sweden has the highest infection rate among Nordic nations. Surrounding countries adopted a lock-down policy and infections are below 1,000 in each of those countries.
April 29: Qatar reports 643 new cases, for a total of 12,564 cases. Officials have tested 91,445 people, with 2,808 tests taken in the last 24 hours. Officials note that Qatar has had two consecutive days of declining cases.
While wearing a surgical mask. the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited the Research and Development Center at Barzan Holding Company affiliated to the Ministry of Defense to view the production lines for the manufacturing of the (Savr-Q) ventilators. The company is producing 2,000 ventilators per week.
Some Qatari restaurants now offer "Contactless delivery" service in which the patron and the deliverer do not need to have physical contact. The patron can pay online or provide exact change to the deliverer.
Ministry issues tips for handling products after you have gone shopping and return home.
US reports 1,038,490 new infections, with 59,438 deaths. The death toll, in about month, equals the deaths of US soldiers during several foreign wars, including the 11-year Viet Nam War. State and local governments have begun furloughing workers, affecting the delivery of services.
Worldwide, confirmed infections are 3,166,395 with 28,728 new cases. Deaths total 219,586.
April 30: Qatar reports 845 new cases, bringing the total to 13,409. Recovered cases total 1,372. Officials have taken 94,500 tests, with 3,085 taken in the last 24 hours. The ministry explained that it has stepped up efforts to trace contacts.
Qatari officials expect cases to rise for some time, but expect most of the infections to be mild. They also released data about infections based on age and gender. Most infections have been in younger men.
The Qatari Cabinet has extended all precautionary measures until April 30, 2020.
Qatar has found two construction companies in Al Wakra in violation of the rule that all employees wear masks. Officials of the two companies now face possible penalties of imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding QR 200,000 or one of the two penalties.
Can the virus infect through aerosol transmission? Here's a summary of the research. The answer? Maybe. Can air conditioning spread the virus? Here's one infection cluster scientists have studied. Answer? Air conditioning can likely disperse in a room droplets from an infected person. Another story about the restaurant transmission, possibly by the air conditioner.
US reports 9,345 new cases for a total of 1,073,539. Deaths stand at 62,261.
In late March, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced that an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from COVID-19. Ten days later, he lowered that figure to 60,000—a number that is already obsolete.
Worldwide, confirmed infections are 3,261,632 with 43,449 new cases. Deaths total 230,388.
I have continued daily updates at a new blog post for May.
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