Doha: Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation, Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal has said that people will have to continue taking COVID-19 precautions even when vaccine is available in the country.
“Receiving COVID-19 vaccines once they are available in Qatar will be important and effective. However this will not be enough alone and it is important that we continue to adhere COVID-19 preventive measures at all times,” said Dr. Al Khal in a Qatar National Day (QND) message, yesterday.
To recall, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said on November 11 that COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech will be available in Qatar by the end of this year or very early next year following regulatory approval.
In a series of video messages posted by the Ministry on its social media accounts, several other healthcare officials have also urged the public to follow COVID-19 precautionary measures during QND celebrations.
Read also: Qatar to get first batch of Covid-19 vaccine before month-end: MOPH official
Director of Health Protection and Communicable Diseases at MoPH, Dr. Hamad Eid Al Romaihi said that due to the timely efforts of Qatar to confront COVID19 were successful as result of the distinctive healthcare system expertise of the qualified teams, hard work and the early preparations for epidemic emergencies. “It is important to follow precautionary measures,” he added.
Acting Chief Medical Officer at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari in his QND message has said that Qatar’s healthcare system has shown a great deal of readiness in response to COVID-19 by increasing the capacity of hospitals, redeploying medical, nursing and allied healthcare staff to priority clinical areas. “Your adherence to preventive measures will help us in our fight against,” said Dr. Al Ansari.
The Head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at HMC, Dr. Einas Al Kuwari said, Qatar has achieved remarkable success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and in reducing number of daily cases thanks to the public’s commitment and adherence to preventive measures. “We urge you to continue to take precautions during QND celebrations,” Dr. Al Kuwari said.
