Doha: About 12% of the population in the State of Qatar, who are 16+ years old, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a senior official said today during a press conference to announce the latest developments about Covid-19 pandemic. More than 45% of teachers and administrators working in public and private schools have received the vaccine so far.
“More than 70% of health workers at HMC and more than 67% of primary care workers have been vaccinated,” Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal said during a press conference.
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“We are now seeing positive COVID-19 cases in the region and in Qatar with the new variant known as B.1.1.7 (UK strain). This new variant is much more contagious and spread more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of disease,” he added
“The good news is that the Pizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in our vaccination program are effective against the new variants,” Dr Khal said.
“The pace of the vaccination program means that there is finally hope of a gradual return to normal for us here in Qatar and people around the world. But this will not happen in the next few weeks or months. COVID-19 will continue to be a threat to our health for the majority of 2021 and until all eligible members of our population have been vaccinated, we must continue to follow the preventive measures,” he concluded.
