874 new cases of the virus, three deaths, 459 recoveries Friday

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) reported on Friday 874 new confirmed cases of coronavirus (Covid-19), of which 718 were from community and 156 from travellers returning from abroad. The MoPH also recorded 459 recoveries from the virus during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases recovered in Qatar to 165,003. The ministry reported three new deaths of people aged 55, 81, and 82, who were receiving the necessary medical care.

The MoPH said 867,209 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the national vaccination programme. Of this 25,209 doses were given in the past 24 hours. It said hundreds of people are becoming sick daily due to Covid-19 with many requiring admission to hospital to manage their symptoms. Since February 1, the number of people with Covid-19 admitted to hospital has doubled.

The ministry said Qatar was now seeing positive Covid-19 cases in the country with new variants from the United Kingdom. This new variant is much more contagious and spread more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of disease. The good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in Qatartarget="_blank"'>