‘Over 85 percent of the population in Qatar has  received at least two doses, therefore, there is no need for people with mild or moderate symptoms to seek help from HMC’s emergency teams and they can safely isolate at home for ten days following their positive test result’,  Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani added.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases in Qatar is leading to enormous demand on HMC’s Ambulance Service and Emergency Departments. These emergency services remain fully operational and ready to respond to all urgent, life-threatening medical emergency, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Therefore, people with minor, non-emergency conditions are advised to seek help from alternative services.

Ali Darwish, Assistant Executive Director,  Ambulance Service said that our teams are receiving very large number of calls every day since increase in Covid-19 cases during last few weeks’.

Darwish assured that ambulance service remain available and ready to support anyone with an urgent, life-threatening medical emergency and these individuals should not hesitate to call 999.

However, he stressed the public to cooperate and use 999 service only in situation of critical medical emergencies, people with non-emergency conditions to make their own way to a relevant health facility and not request an ambulance transfer including people with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms’.

Dr. Aftab Azad, Deputy Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine said that ‘All our emergenc departments remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide high-quality medical care to people with life-threatening medical emergencies. But due to the increase in COVID-19 cases we are now seeing many people with flu-like symptoms seeking help. These individuals place great pressure on our emergency teams who are working tirelessly to treat patients with the most critical medical conditions.

He stressed patients with non-emergency conditions to use an alternative service such as HMC’s virtual Urgent Care Service or one of the eight Primary Health Care Corporation Urgent Care Centers’.

HMC’s virtual Urgent Care Service is available to support people with urgent, but non-life threatening medical conditions through the main helpline on 16000, from 7am to 3pm, Sunday to Thursday.

Primary Health Care Corporation’s eight Urgent Care Centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for patients with urgent but non-life threatening medical conditions.

People with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms should call 16000 for advice or visit a relevant center for a COVID-19 test.

COVID-19 PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests are available at more than 100 private clinics as well as all 28 PHCC health centers.