One of Bahrain's leading medical professors gave student doctors a full lowdown on Covid-19 and praised Bahrain's efforts to tackle the virus.
Professor Manaf Alqahtani, Adult Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiologist Consultant and Head of the Infection Control Unit at the Royal Medical Services of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), and Clinical Associate Professor, Lead in Microbiology at RCSI Bahrain, recently addressed attendees from the RCSI Bahrain campus on the topic ‘The Novel 2019-nCoV Coronavirus – When and how it will end?’
A large portion of the lecture addressed Bahrain’s plan to tackle the COVID-19 threat, which has now been implemented to much global praise, and incorporates significant resources such as a multi-disciplinary taskforce, an algorithm for treatment and dedicated testing and quarantine facilities.
During the lecture, Professor Alqahtani said: “The good news is that Bahrain is extremely well prepared to tackle this virus, and the health of the wider population should not be affected. I would encourage people not to panic, but to be vigilant and follow our official advice to stop the spread of COVID-19, in particular, to call 444 and self-isolate for the greater good, if symptoms are suspected.
“We know what to expect and what we need from our hospitals and medical staff should the disease escalate, and we have even considered the social and psychological affect that a period of quarantine may have on an individual, and will be taking efforts to mitigate these.
“Although this is a new strain of coronavirus, for most individuals it will be a similar illness to seasonal influenza, and healthy people should make a full recovery.”
