H E Dr. Youssef Hussein Kamal receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.
Doha: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said that measures have been taken to receive the next shipment of COVID-19 vaccine in the country soon.
The Ministry has said that people eligible to receive the vaccination will be contacted directly and has also requested other members of the community to wait until their turn.
“MoPH is working with the pharmaceutical companies to ensure the next shipment of vaccines arrives in Qatar as early as possible in 2021 and everyone who needs to be vaccinated will be able to do so throughout the year,” the Ministry has said in its social media accounts. In mid-October, MoPH announced that it had signed an agreement with pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to procure COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is approved.
The first shipment of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Doha following an emergency use approval. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign begun on December 23. In the first phase of Qatar’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign vaccines are being prioritised for people most at risk of severe complications from the virus including people aged 70 years of age and above, people with severe chronic conditions and healthcare workers with repeated exposure to COVID-19 virus.
“People who are eligible to receive the vaccination at this stage will be contacted directly by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) to arrange their appointments,” said the Ministry.
“Soon eligible community members will be able to call to book an appointment or to book online,” it added.
In the first phase of the vaccination campaign the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are being given to the priority population groups at seven PHCC health centers: Al Wajba, Leabaib, Al Ruwais, Um Slal, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Thumama and Muaither.
“Vaccination will be given to people with pre-arranged appointments,” the Ministry said.
“All other community members who do not meet the criteria for the early phase of the campaign are kindly requested to wait until it is their turn,” the Ministry has requested the people.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Economy and Finance, H E Dr. Youssef Hussein Kamal, received first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, and he has expressed his gratitude and appreciation for taking initiative to priorities and bring the vaccine to Qatar.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires a second dose to be given 21 days after the first. Earlier speaking at a television programme, Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital, Dr Yousef Al Maslamani had said that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Qatar has gone well with no serious side effects reported.
Stressing the importance of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, he stated that it has marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic in the country.
According to Al Maslamani, the number of people among the targeted category taking the vaccine has increased considerably, especially since senior and well-known personnel have already taken the first dose publicly.
