*** ----> Bahrain's Covid curve flat, yet deaths surge | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Bahrain's Covid curve flat, yet deaths surge

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

With 46 Covid-19 deaths reported last month in Bahrain, the number of deaths in the third wave of infection has witnessed an increase despite the Covid curve flattening during the same period.

Generally, the flattening of the Covid curve is associated with stabilisation of death as well as hospitalisation numbers.

However, the number of deaths reported last month remains highest since July 2021.

The hospitalisation numbers remained low compared to the total active cases and new cases.

The new cases graph has been stable for the past few weeks.

There were 3,425 new cases on February 23 and Feb 24 saw 3,006 cases; the number of new cases for other days of the past week was Feb 25 (2,732), Feb 26 (2,599), Feb 27(2,416), Feb 28 (2,916) and March 1 (2,577).

The death numbers have risen to 1,454 and there are now 16 critical cases.

The highest single-day death number (four) since the beginning of the New Year was reported on February 13 and February 23.

There were 2,577 new cases on Monday along with 2,776 recoveries and one death.

There are 25,648 active cases including 51 hospitalised patients infected with Covid-19.

Bahrain has so far registered a total of 514,883 cases and 11,217 tests were recorded on Tuesday.

According to medical experts, the flattening of the Covid curve reflects Bahrain’s success saga in terms of administering vaccine and booster doses along with strict measures taken to tackle the spread of the virus.

On the vaccination front, the authorities have reaped an unprecedented success; 12,27,305 have received a single dose of the vaccine while 11,97,343 received two doses; 950,713 have already received their booster doses.

Bahrain has registered over 100,000 Omicron cases since January 2022, according to Lt Col Dr Manaf Al Qahtani, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Microbiologist at the BDF Hospital and Member of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating COVID-19.

The first Omicron case was reported on December 11 last year and the infected had travelled abroad.

He stressed the success of the national vaccination campaign in achieving its goals, which contributed to raising the immune response for all age groups which took two doses and the booster jab.

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“The anti-Coronavirus vaccination has proven effective in reducing the incidence of complications for existing cases, thus reducing hospital admission rates and intensive care and the death toll,” he said.

He underlined Bahrain’s continuous efforts to combat the virus within the national vaccination campaign to protect citizens' and residents’ health and safety.

“It is important to focus in the current stage on the number of existing cases whose health requires hospitalisation or admission to intensive care,” said Dr Al Qahtani.

Following approval by the Vaccination Committee, a second booster shot has been made available by choice for adults aged 60 years and above, and frontline medical professionals.

According to the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus, eligible individuals may receive any vaccine as a second booster shot, three months after receiving the first booster shot.