Coronavirus Under the Scope

Participants in
the “Coronavirus Under the Scope” Symposium at UOB:

We are Still in
Desperate Need for Continued Safety and Health Precautions

 

Participants in the ”
Coronavirus Under the Scope” symposium stressed the importance of
preserving the safety and health of citizens and residents in the Kingdom of
Bahrain, praising the community’s awareness and solidarity in adhering to the
precautionary measures and the achievements and progress made in addressing the
pandemic since last January 2020.

The symposium was organized by
the Deanship of Student Affairs at the University of Bahrain (UOB) on a virtual
communication platform on Thursday (16 October 2020) under the sponsorship of
the University President Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah and in his presence, during
which speakers called for the importance of citizens and residents in the
Kingdom of Bahrain to feel a sense of responsibility towards the efforts made
by the National Taskforce, the medical staff and volunteers in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic.

At the opening of the symposium,
the President of the University praised the performance of the National
Taskforce and health staff in confronting and combating the Corona virus (Covid-19)
pandemic and expressed his pride in what the Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved in
dealing with the pandemic, as well as the joint cooperation between all the
people of the country. Also, he praised the efforts of front-line medical staff
in combating this pandemic, expressing his gratitude and appreciation to the National
Taskforce led by the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy Prime
Minister and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the National Taskforce
for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19), His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin
Hamad Al Khalifa.

As the Assistant Undersecretary
for Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Maryam Ebrahim Al-Hajiri, first
spoke about ” Health Status and the Role of the National Taskforce for
Combating the Coronavirus” and pointed to the amount of progress the national taskforce
and medical teams have achieved since its formation. Moreover, Dr. Al-Hajiri explained
that the National Taskforce started with 300 examinations per day, “then we
reached ten thousand examinations per day,” confirming that the total number of
examinations amounted to more than one and a half million examinations during
the first half of October, and that the number of those infected is 76
thousand, while the number of people who recovered is 72 thousand.

Also, Dr. Al-Hajiri indicated
that the number of people infected is declining, thanks to God and to the
efforts of the National Taskforce and medical teams that are doing their best
to address the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), in addition to the community’s
cooperation and awareness.

Dr. Al-Hajiri reviewed the tasks
accomplished by the National Taskforce, noting that since its formation in
January of the current year 2020, the National Taskforce has worked to develop
proactive plans, take precautionary measures that are in line with the
recommendations of the World Health Organization, and many preventive measures
to limit the spread of the virus, and apply the most precise standards for
tracking the impact of contacts through surveillance and investigation,
increasing the capacity of hospitals, quarantine center, and treatment center,
working to increase laboratory examinations, increasing intensive care
equipment in all sites at the highest level, developing a complete plan to
employ, qualify and train the necessary manpower, manage cases, and improve treatment
capacity, which was reflected in the rate of recovery going up to 95% of the
total infected.

Furthermore, Dr. Al-Hajiri stated
that “The Kingdom of Bahrain is the first in the Arab world to carry out
clinical vaccine trials, as the sincere efforts led by the Crown Prince His
Highness the Prince led to preserving the safety and health of citizens and
residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the National Taskforce employed all
human, material and health cadres and volunteers to work around the clock and
on the front lines to confront the pandemic. “

Also, Dr. Al-Hajiri stated that “All
the cadres working to confront the pandemic have proven their competence and
ability in dealing with these conditions,” calling on everyone to appreciate
what is being provided by the leadership and government to maintain health
security on this good land and continuing to say that ” we need to
continue with willpower, determination and responsibility to preserve the health
and safety of our people.”

Dr. Al-Salman: The world is
facing a circumstance it has not witnessed in 100 years.

Consultant for infectious
diseases and internal diseases at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Jameela
Salman, spoke about “The Current Situation of The Corona virus (Covid-19)
Internationally,” and said in this context “The whole world is facing a
pandemic that it has not witnessed in 100 years and at this level of the impact
on health, society, economy and education levels,” stressing that “the
pandemic has highly impacted several fields. “

On the incubation period of the
virus for the infected person, Dr. Al-Salman explained that “The
incubation period for the emerging virus ranges from one to ten days, and
during these ten days, symptoms may and may not appear on the infected person.”
Further explaining that “the transmission of infection has stronger
symptoms on the infected than the transmitter of the infection who had no symptoms,
and both of them can infect others during the period of infection. “

Furthermore, Dr. Salman listed human
organs in that can be affected by the virus, explaining that the virus starts
in the upper respiratory system, as severe pain spreads throughout the body,
and symptoms appear on the digestive system, such as vomiting or diarrhea. Also,
Dr. Salman said that “One of the distinguishing effects of this virus is a
temporary loss of the sense of smell and taste.” pointing out that there
are other long-term symptoms and effects such as heart attacks, strokes, and
forgetfulness, as she said that “This virus affects all parts of the
body.”

Also, she indicated that people
with chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and
immunodeficiency, and the elderly are the most vulnerable groups to infection
with the Covid-19 virus.

Dr. Jawad: Bahrain is a pioneer
in testing vaccines.

On her part, the Public Health
Consultant and Head of the Immunization Group at the Public Health Department,
Dr. Jaleela Al-Sayed Jawad, spoke about “The Experience of The Kingdom of Bahrain
in Taking Covid-19 Vaccines.” where Al-Sayed stated that “Bahrain has been
a pioneer in testing vaccines in the past years.” explaining that the most
important vaccine at the present time for Covid-19 is the application of
precautions and preventive measures, until a vaccine that can completely
eliminate this virus is produced.

On the experience of the Kingdom
of Bahrain in taking the vaccine, Dr. Al-Sayed said that “The Kingdom of
Bahrain participated in the third phase of vaccine trials, after the tested
vaccine passed a number of trials in the first and second stages, and the tests
confirmed the safety and health of those who were subjected to the experiments
earlier.”

Furthermore, she stated that
“The vaccine used in clinical trials in Bahrain is a vaccine manufactured
by China, and it is considered one of the disinfectant vaccines, and it has no
ability to transmit the infection, and this vaccine is given in two doses. Adding
that it has proven safe after trying the first dose, and no complications were seen
in volunteers so far. “

Also, Dr. Al-Sayed confirmed that
there are several countries working to produce a vaccine in order to eliminate
this virus, and there is still no vaccine that has proven its ability to
completely eliminate it.

For her part, the Dean of Student
Affairs at UOB, Dr. Fatima Mohammed Al-Maliki, thanked the Ministry of Health
for its continuous cooperation and efforts to raise community awareness, and that
its keenness to participate in the symposium reflects the vision of workers in
the health sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as the National Taskforce
for Combating the Coronavirus and the medical team and all the front-line
workers who make great sacrifices to protect our dear Kingdom from this
pandemic.

Sustainable Development Goals:

3 Good health and well-being.

Key Words:

The National Taskforce for
Combating the Coronavirus, Covid-19, University of Bahrain, Ministry of Health,
corona symptoms, effects of the pandemic, corona symposium, Kingdom of Bahrain,
Chinese vaccine, clinical trials.