Qatar and COVID-19, Part 5: Can it Protect Gains Against the Virus as the Economy and Schools Continue to Reopen?
Phase 3 Re-Opening August 1, 2020 represents to significant events. First, Phase 3 re-opening in Qatar is now in effect. And the Muslim population is celebrating the Eid holiday. Since July 19, 2020, new COVID-19 cases in Qatar have fallen below 400 cases per day. The last time we saw new cases below 400 was March 14, 2020 . Admissions to ICU have dropped to the single digits. Deaths of one to three people a day continue, with a few days in which no one has lost his or her life. Since July 23, 2020, people as young as 23 and as old as 91 have died. But, the death toll remains quite low despite the very high numbers of reported infections per 1 million population (39,571/1 mill. -- the highest in the world). By the end of July, the death toll stood at 174 . Experts attribute these results to several factors : a younger population, good medical care, an aggressive testing program, a well-managed contact tracing program, significant compliance among residents with rules gove