A highly dangerous Covid-19 Delta variant has been identified in Qatar.

A top health official acknowledged that a dangerous Covid-19 Delta variant has been identified in Qatar in an interview with Qatar TV.

On Monday, a top health official stated that the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is more contagious than earlier strains and produces more severe symptoms, had been identified in Qatar.

In an interview with Qatar TV, Hamad General Hospital Medical Director Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani revealed, “The Delta version first surfaced (in the world) last February, however, it arrived in Qatar four months later.”

Dr. Al Maslamani noted that proactive health and safety measures have helped delay the variant’s arrival in Qatar. A speedy vaccination program will also help the community’s immunity.

“This allowed us to boost vaccination rates and boost societal immunity — for example, nearly 85 percent of adults over the age of 12 received at least one dose of the vaccine. And this is a significant amount, which helped to ensure excellent protection,” he continued.

Qatar’s decision to extend phase 3 of the plan to reduce Covid-19 limitations was based on information available at the time that aids in determining the virus’s pace of spread, according to the health official.

Also Read: Covid-19 restrictions in Qatar extended for August 2021

“The number of patients infected with the virus has risen in recent days, and practically all criteria have progressed to the second and third stages. So, scientifically, moving to a new stage and expanding operations at a time when the numbers are always increasing is illogical,” Dr. Al Maslmani remarked.

He spoke to Qatar TV that the spike in infection numbers was due to travel and social behavior during Eid Al-Adha. Until the seventh day after the Islamic holiday, the number of daily infections remained steady. After that, the number of people infected began to rise.

To flatten the curve, he emphasized the importance of persons returning from travel adhering to preventative and quarantine measures, particularly for groups that require home quarantine.

“Does the fourth stage imply the complete removal of restrictions? We can’t completely remove the limits because, according to science, if you go from a stage of restrictions to a stage of complete conquering, the pandemic would return in a big way,” the medical director explained.

Dr. Al Maslamani said that “we take such judgments to defend society and the safety of the country” when it comes to amending the travel policy for the six Asian countries.

As a result of the return of travelers, particularly from countries with high numbers of infections, all Covid19 variants, including the Delta mutation, are now present in Qatar.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced that quarantine measures for visitors from these six Asian nations will be reinstated.

Travelers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines who are completely Covid-19 vaccinated (and have got vacinated in Qatar) must now quarantine for two days at a hotel until a negative PCR lab test deems them fit to leave the facility on the second day.

All other visitors from these countries must stay in a hotel for ten days after arriving in Qatar.