Qatar is continuing its four-stage national COVID-19 vaccination plan on a strong footing. Now more people can access the vaccine as the priority group age threshold has been lowered.
The Ministry of Public Health said yesterday that all residents and citizens aged 60 years and above are eligible to receive the vaccine. Qatar will provide the vaccines to citizens and residents free of charge.
The move aims to give priority in providing COVID-19 vaccines to people who are most vulnerable to severe complications related to COVID-19 as well as the main front line workers in certain ministries and government institutions, and to students who received government scholarships and who study abroad.
The decision to reduce age comes as part of the first phase of the national plan which requires the inclusion of younger age groups gradually over the coming weeks. In this regard, the Ministry launched a new website registration process that allows citizens and residents to register their desire to receive the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign started in the country on December 23, soon after the Ministry of Public Health approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. In the first phase of vaccination, preference was given to those over 70 years of age, adults in chronic care and home care facilities, people over 16 years of age with severe chronic diseases and healthcare personnel most at risk of infection. Later the age was reduced to 65 and above. The vaccine consists of two shots, given three weeks apart.
Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation, Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, said this is the largest vaccination program ever implemented in Qatar and added: “Although this phase of the vaccination program allows us to provide the vaccine to more people, we continue to target the population groups most vulnerable to the health complications associated with COVID-19 — the elderly and people with some of the most severe chronic diseases, as well as key front-line workers in the health sector and key workers in other public sectors, including education.”
Also, Qatar is weeks away from receiving vaccine developed by the US pharmaceutical company Moderna. The second dose of Moderna’s vaccine is given four weeks after the first dose. Both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots are mRNA vaccines, made with a groundbreaking new technology. They don’t contain any coronavirus – meaning they cannot cause infection. No major or significant side effects were reported on those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Qatar as well as across the globe.
