The mass inoculation drive against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues successfully in the country. The vaccination drive was launched on December 23, 2020, and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has now started administering the second dose of the vaccine.
Dr. Abdullah Al Kubaisi, a 79-year-old retired Qatari academic, and Mohammed Frazat, an 88-year-old Syrian national living in Qatar --- the two first recipients of the vaccine in Qatar --- have received their second dose as well.
The government has announced that the vaccine will be free for all citizens and residents. It has also said that everybody will be able to get the vaccine in 2021. This will be the country’s largest ever vaccination campaign.
People aged 65 years or above, healthcare personnel most at risk of COVID-19 infection and people with chronic diseases are getting the shots in the first phase of vaccination which lasts until January 31. The vaccinations jabs are being administered at 10 health centres across the country. Currently, the MoPH is contacting those eligible for the vaccine.
MoPH has worked hard since the early stages of vaccine development at the start of the pandemic to ensure Qatar was among the first countries in the world to get a safe, effective and approved COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine currently being used in Qatar is the one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. It has met all safety and efficacy standards and has been approved for emergency use by regulators in many countries. The vaccine consists of two shots, given three weeks apart. Though the vaccine is not compulsory, health officials have encouraged everyone to take the shot. In addition to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Qatar has also signed an agreement to get the COVID-19 vaccine developed by US biotech firm Moderna.
Qatar’s healthcare system has performed exceedingly well throughout the pandemic. An effective contact tracing, massive testing and stringent quarantine policy have meant that Qatar’s mortality rate from the pandemic was among the lowest in the world. Over the past couple of months, authorities have also succeeded in keeping the new cases under check as businesses, schools and international travel reopened. This was achieved through an effective quarantine policy for all incoming international passengers and full implementation of the prescribed safety measures.
To date, the country has reported a total of 146,480 COVID-19 cases and a total of 246 deaths. Over 143,000 have already fully recovered. Total number of people tested for COVID-19 stands at 1,301,053.
