Saudi Doctors During the Pandemic

Saudi Doctors During the Pandemic
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Saudi Doctors During the Pandemic

Saudi Doctors During the Pandemic

Saudi doctors are telling painful tales of how their COVID-19 patients are suffering, saying that it has become a turning point in their lives.

Health workers fighting off the virus are investing all their efforts into the mission of helping patients recover.

“When treating a COVID-19 patient, physicians wear a tailored N-95 mask and a face shield,” Doctor Abdulrrahman al-Saadoun said.

Saadoun, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, points to the difference in sizes of preventative gear and the difference in treating patients. But in all cases, doctors are restricted to wearing face masks, gloves, protective footwear, and plastic overalls.

As for the dangers posed by doctors visiting public places and spreading the virus, Saadoun stresses that the same health preventatives adopted by citizens apply to doctors.

Virus-infected deaths are also handled in a careful manner to curb the spread of the virus from the dead body, Saadoun noted.

When asked about how doctors spend their days in quarantine, especially that some decide to completely isolate themselves from their families, Saadoun stresses that many doctors spend their time reading, listening to podcasts, watching movies, and working on medical research with their colleagues.

He said that time spent in self-isolation is highly productive for physicians.

Some may be unaware of the harshness of what medical teams suffer in the face of their continuous work during this crisis.

Doctor Fatima al-Shahrani confirmed that it is difficult to know whether the virus is reaching its end given that new cases are being recorded daily.

Shahrani pointed out that the World Health Organization has warned all countries that matters could get worse, and added that it is very important to follow preventative measures.

The daily increase in the number of cases is evidence that the virus is still active.



Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
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Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)

A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of US hostages killed by ISIS in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission told Reuters, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies.

ISIS, which controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014-2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including Western hostages, and released videos of the killings.

Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search on Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Türkiye in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said.

One of the sources - a Syrian security source - said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last.

The US State Department had no immediate comment.

The Qatari mission gets under way as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar next week and as Syria's new rulers seek relief from US sanctions.

The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body of aid worker Peter Kassig, who was beheaded by ISIS in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find.

US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by ISIS. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014.

US aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in ISIS captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015.

"We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort."

Two ISIS members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States.