In today’s coronavirus (COVID-19) statistics, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced that Qatar recorded 1130 new cases, 129 new recoveries, and 1 death.

The Ministry explains that most of the new cases are due to expatriate workers who have been infected with the virus as a result of contact with individuals who have been previously infected, in addition to recording new cases from within groups of workers from various regions. These cases have been identified because of investigations carried out by the Ministry.

There was also an increase in the number of infections among citizens and residents who had contact with COVID-19 positive family members, who had in turn been infected at the workplace or other locations. All the new infected cases have been quarantined where they are receiving the necessary medical care.

The Ministry reports that the new death was a 52-year-old resident who had received medical care in the Intensive Care Unit and was suffering from chronic diseases. The MoPH offers sincere condolences and great sympathy to the family of the deceased.

The MoPH has launched a community survey to learn more about how the virus is transmitted within the community and gain more understanding of cases of infection that do not show symptoms of the disease.

Through drive-through survey centers, invited participants to complete a questionnaire. Last week, tests were conducted for 2500 people who received an invitation to participate in the community questionnaire, which aims to better understand the transmission of the virus in the community and thus adapt the response of stakeholders.

This questionnaire is expected to continue during the coming period, and the Ministry encourages people who receive an invitation to respond and participate in this initiative in order to contribute to the national efforts to combat the virus and to understand more about the epidemiology of transmission of infection between members of society.

The MoPH notes that the current period is the peak stage in the virus outbreak when numbers may continue to rise before they begin to stabilize and then gradually decline.

The reasons for the high numbers of new cases are due to the Ministry's redoubling of its efforts in tracking the transitional chains of the virus and expanding the circle of searching for infected people through intensive and proactive investigations of large numbers of contacts with people who have been confirmed with the virus recently.

The MoPH notes that the number of daily examinations that it conducts on people depends primarily on the number of contacts with individuals confirmed to be infected with the virus, as it conducts random checks in different places of the country as a proactive measure. The number of tests performed daily is not linked to the number of cases detected in terms of any rise or fall.

The MoPH calls on all members of society to stay at home and not go out except in cases of necessity and to implement preventive measures and maintain physical distancing, including in the workplace and public places. The Ministry reminds people to use a face mask as recommended and avoid social visits to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.

For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar, the public can contact a 24/7 hotline set up by the Ministry. The hotline number is 16000 and is toll-free.

Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself. 

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