Doha, February 27 (QNA) - Qatari daily newspapers Al-Watan and Gulf Times commended in their Sunday editorials the carefully studied strategy of the State of Qatar in confronting the outbreak of COVID-19

The two newspapers indicated that Qatar's performance during the pandemic was good as it maintained one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world, in addition to recording a significant decrease in the number of hospital admissions and in the number of daily cases in recent weeks.

In turn, Al-Watan newspaper referred to the Ministry of Public Health's COVID-19 report on Saturday, which registered 297 new cases of COVID-19 and 779 recoveries, which brought the total of recovered cases to 351,746.

The newspaper noted the Ministry's statement revealed that among the new cases, 249 were community cases and 48 were among travelers. It also mentioned that three new deaths were recorded, aged 75, 83 and 89, all of whom suffered from chronic diseases and received the necessary medical care.

The Ministry has provided 6,303,572 COVID-19 vaccine doses to members of society, in addition to 1,212,354 booster doses, bringing the vaccination rate to 87.9% of the total population, which is a large and important percentage that is capable of protecting society, the newspaper said.

Al-Watan stressed the need to adhere to precautionary measures as it allows the decline in the percentage of COVID-19 cases more and more until they are completely null, which is now within reach, if the decline in recent daily cases is taken into account.

The paper considered that less than 300 COVID-19 cases to be very encouraging and confirms the safety of the procedures that are being implemented in Qatar with clear evidence of the preventive effects of COVID-19 vaccines, as most patients that required ICU admission were unvaccinated individuals or individuals who received the second dose of the vaccine more than 6 months ago and did not receive the booster dose.

Concluding, Al-Watan emphasized that these developments confirm that Qatar has passed the peak of the third wave of the pandemic, as the number of new cases of virus recorded daily continues to decrease, thanks to the support provided by society by adhering to precautionary restrictions and measures, and thanks to our health devices that have worked tirelessly, which deserve all the appreciation and praise.

For its part, English-language newspaper Gulf Times stressed in its Sunday editorial the importance of following the precautionary measures to tackle COVID-19, even with the decrease in the number of daily infections.

The Qatari daily newspaper said that the relaxed entry procedures for fully vaccinated citizens and residents will take effect in the State of Qatar on Monday, but it is essential that travelers fully observe and comply with the current safety measures in the country.

The paper stated that citizens and residents coming from any country do not need a PCR test if they are fully vaccinated or are recovered and exempted from quarantine. However, they will still need to take a rapid antigen test at any public or authorized private clinic within 24 hours of arrival in Qatar, Gulf Times added.

The newspaper underlined that the State of Qatar has done well by maintaining one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world, in addition to registering a significant decline in the number of hospital admissions and a decrease in the number of daily cases until a few weeks ago.

At the peak of the pandemic in 2021, the State of Qatar had more than 2,000 new confirmed cases a daily, the paper pointing out, referring then to the successful measures that tackled COVID-19, which flattened the curve and limited the spread of the virus and the number of new daily cases and hospital admissions.

Concluding, Gulf Times stressed that while there is a significant improvement in the pandemic situation, it is still important to observe the preventive and precautionary measures against COVID-19, which spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets, pointing to the importance of following the precautionary measures to tackle the pandemic. (QNA)