The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is picking up pace across Qatar. The Ministry of Public Health recently issued an emergency use authorization of Moderna vaccine, the second vaccine to be approved in Qatar. The State is vaccinating its citizens and residents with two ofthe world’s best vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation, said: “The comprehensive clinical trial process on Moderna vaccine has showed it is safe and highly effective. The authorization from MoPH means we can soon begin administering the Moderna vaccine along with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as we expand our national vaccination program in Qatar.”
Dr. Al Khal said both vaccines have shown similarly high levels of safety and efficacy in trials and that people should not be concerned about which vaccine they are offered. The approved age for Pfizer is 16 years and above but for Moderna it is 18 and above. For Pfizer, the gap between the two doses is 21 days, while for Moderna it is 28 days.
Both vaccines are very similar in the mechanism used to produce the vaccine — mRNA technology. mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into the body. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach the cells how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein — that triggers an immune response inside the body. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters the body.
Dr. Soha Al Bayat, Head of Vaccination at Ministry of Public Health, said a high percentage of the target groups have been vaccinated in the State. Also, the age limit for receiving the vaccine has been lowered further to people aged 50 and above.
Currently, Qatar administers the vaccines free to all residents and citizens at health centers. The Ministry of Public Health has also urged all residents and citizens aged above 60 to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The Ministry urged everyone, who will receive the vaccine, to continue to adhere to the precautionary measures, especially wearing the mask and to maintain social distancing.
With Qatar having an approved and effective vaccine, the elderly, citizens and residents have the opportunity to become protected and live free from the threat of the virus.
