Experts warn against relaxing precautions as cases drop

A DECLINE in the number of Covid-19 cases does not call for a relaxation of precautionary measures, warned experts.

They urged people to continue adhering to the guidelines to bring the daily cases down to zero which could lead to an opening up of society.

The GDN reported on Monday that Bahrain recorded an almost 37 per cent drop in the number of daily new active coronavirus cases in the last week of October.

For the first 24 days of the month the daily average was 380 cases which dropped to 239 from October 25 until Saturday.

This is against an all-time high average of 660 daily cases from September 15 to 30.

Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Waleed Al Manea said the decline was due to increased public awareness and serious commitment to guidelines.

“This (decline in cases) does not mean that the virus has been limited; instead, we are clear that it is because of awareness.

“This shows people are committed and aware on how to deal with the situation professionally and in a scientific manner, which is appreciated.

“We have to be careful and must not take things easy, and ensure that we don’t get reckless.”

He also underlined that the spread of the virus has nothing to do with the season.

“Based on a continuous review of the situation we will resume activities and we would like to mention that an increase in cases has nothing to do with the season.

“During summer we saw an increase which was due to recklessness and it could be the same in winter.”

Out of 6,910 beds in the isolation and treatment facilities, only 555 were occupied (8pc), while 1,804 active cases were on home isolation, he added.

The recovery rate stands at 96.7pc and the death rate at 0.34pc of the total cases in the country.

Dr Al Manea was speaking at an online Press conference held from the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research at BDF Hospital alongside National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus monitoring committee head Lt Col Dr Manaf Al Qahtani and taskforce member and Salmaniya Medical Complex consultant of infectious and internal diseases Dr Jameela Al Salman.

Dr Al Qahtani once again urged people who have recovered from the virus to donate plasma.

Last week he had said the plasma treatment had resulted in reducing the number of days a patient spent on the ventilator.

However, he had pointed out that only 40 of the recovered Covid-19 patients had donated plasma since April.

“Please call us on 1776679 for plasma donation – our family and friends at the hospitals need your support,” he said.

Dr Al Salman was optimistic that there would not be a second wave in the country if people abided by the health guidelines.

“There is success in Bahrain as we see a decrease in the active cases, which places a responsibility on us not to be reckless.

“It is great to see people are getting used to wearing face masks, observing social distancing, avoiding family gatherings and following health and hygiene etiquettes.

“This will protect us from second wave and if this pattern continues, we will not witness a second wave of the pandemic.”

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/896709/Experts-warn-against-relaxing-precautions-as-cases-drop