Qatar's comprehensive strategy to protect its people from the coronavirus pandemic has proven to be very effective. The country’s success in curbing the spread of the virus can be gauged from the fact that the State has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world.
Preventive measures in place such as wearing masks, maintaining sufficient distance between individuals and the restrictions imposed on gatherings represented a key factor in protecting the population from the risk of the disease. Also, very high quality of care provided through the healthcare sector for patients and expanding hospital capacity to ensure all patients receive the medical care they need, are among the other measures which helped Qatar tackle the pandemic amid gradual lifting of restrictions in phases. As of yesterday, the total number of cases recovered in Qatar has increased to 123,664.
Global infections surpassed 35 million and the World Health Organization estimated 10 percent of the global population may have been infected with COVID-19, outstripping the official estimates from governments around the world. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to roll out vaccines to halt the pandemic.
Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of the Infectious Diseases Division at Hamad Medical Corporation, revealed that the Ministry of Public Health has signed an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to supply Qatar with the potential vaccine (BNT162) against the (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The vaccine is still subject to clinical trials and will be distributed after obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals.
The vaccine is likely to be available by the end of this year or during 2021, depending on the success of clinical trials. Researchers worldwide are testing 132 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including 42 that are in clinical trials on humans and at least 92 in preclinical or animal trials, according to the New York Times. Six COVID-19 vaccine candidates are going through Phase 3 clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy. These include Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax.
Also, a global initiative to ensure equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines now includes most of the world. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, also known as COVAX, is a global collaboration for speeding up the development, manufacture and equitable distribution of new vaccines. COVAX is led by the World Health Organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the Gavi vaccine alliance. It is investing in the production of nine vaccines, including candidates from the US, Europe and China, and plans to distribute any that are approved to all participating countries.
