The gentle song of an Iraqi health worker is easing the suffering of coronavirus patients at a hospital in the southern port city of Basra.
Videos of Mohamed Karim’s unique bedside manner have gone viral on social media with people all over the world lauding his acts of kindness.
Mr Karim, a medical laboratory assistant at Basra's Port General Hospital, told The National that he is able to empathise with coronavirus patients because he too contracted the disease and had to self-isolate, which he described as a "traumatic experience."
“Singing is my way of comforting patients, especially those with coronavirus because there is no vaccination, so the words of the songs, the tune, the melody lifts their spirits,” Mr Karim said.
His touching performances have earned a certificate of appreciation from the Iraqi health ministry, but he says he’s not singing to seek attention or garner social media acclaim.
“When patients in the Covid-19 wards tell the doctors and specialists that Mohamed is healing us with his voice, this fulfils my purpose in life and that is all I want,” he said.
One of the videos shows Mr Karim wearing a hazmat suit singing a famous song about a mother’s love by Iraqi singer Saadoun Jaber to an elderly woman infected with the disease.
At the end of the video, the patient gets emotional and starts to cry.
Social media users thanked the "white army", a popular hashtag that refers to doctors and medical staff, who have often been praised as "saviours" by online users throughout the pandemic.
Mr Karim, who has worked for more than a decade in Basra’s healthcare system, said the hospital sometimes calls him in on days off because patients refuse to take their medication from anyone else.
“A female patient told me that the staff attempted to give her a drip but she was hurt, she said where have you been? Why weren’t you here?”
As soon as Mr Karim walks into the hospital he starts singing traditional Iraqi folklore songs and patients immediately call for his attention.
“Through the songs the patients feel safe, secure and hopeful. They become alive again and that’s how I can connect and engage with them,” he said.
“This is the basis of what I do and what pushes me to help others.”
Later this month he is set to record a song with Iraqi singer Saif Khyun dedicated to frontline health workers battling coronavirus.
Iraq has more than 81,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases while 3,345 people have died from the disease. The deceased include dozens of doctors and healthcare workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
For months, authorities have warned that hospitals will not be able to cope with the rise in infected cases due to decades of war and conflict, which crippled its health care system.
“I’m living in an environment that has given up hope but the positive response that I’m getting from the world has given me the motivation to continue and I will,” Mr Karim said.
The talented health worker, who has been singing since the age of 13, believes that it’s important to support the most vulnerable.
“When a patient is admitted to hospital they are not only infected but are also psychologically damaged so they need that emotional support, which is found in music,” he said.
“By singing, I get to reassure them that we’re here and we’re helping.”
Mr Karim said some people at the hospital oppose his way of supporting Covid-19 patients, but that will not stop him from singing.
“I will do whatever it takes to ensure that the patients get through this difficult time,” he said.
Mr Karim says his wish is for people to treat each as if they are family. “If this is possible, then we wouldn’t have any problems,” he said.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
