Revista internacional de salud y seguridad públicas

Qatar’s Response to COVID-19 Pandemic-A Reflection on the Initial 100 Days

Abstract

Jesha Mohammedali Mundodan, Elmoubasher Abu Baker Abd Farag, Soha Shawqi Albayat, Hamad Eid Al-Romaihi and Mohammed Hamad J Al-Thani

Background: After COVID-19 was declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO governments of the world, including Arab states of Gulf Cooperation Council, took stringent measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19. Qatar’s preparations for responding to the potential pandemic began soon after the Wuhan event became public. In this article we reflected upon the response of the State of Qatar against the COVID-19 pandemic during the initial 100 days from 1st January, 2020 to 9^th April, 2020. Qatar’s efforts have always been directed to halt its local transmission, contain the spread, and mitigate the impact of outbreak. Qatar reported its first case of COVID-19 on the 29^th of February 2020. Qatar rolled out the most ambitious and aggressive disease containment effort in history. The state’s aggressive action manifested in early testing of thousands of its people and tracking and isolation of infected individuals, even using smartphone and GPS technology, were critically important.

Conclusion: Qatar’s response to the pandemic within its borders, barring a few lapses, has been commendable. Qatar is now pursuing an equally vigorous regimen to contain future waves of infections.