Qatar’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign starts today after batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived on Monday night at Hamad International Airport.
In a press conference held by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) that same night, it was announced that this first phase of the campaign start on 23 December 2020 and continue until 31 January 2021. Groups prioritised during this time include citizens and residents over 70, those with multiple chronic illnesses, and frontline healthcare workers working with Covid-19 patients.
At this stage, the vaccine—which is licensed for use in people over age 16—will be available in the following Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) centres:
• Al Wajbah
• Leabaib
• Al Ruwais
• Umm Salal
• Rawdat Al Khail
• Al Thumama
• Muaither
People in priority groups will receive a phone call or text message to schedule an appointment at one of the above health centres.
Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation, says that he will get the shot during the current phase to assure the public of its safety and to help quash any rumours surrounding it.
Meanwhile, Dr Hamad Al-Rumaihi, Director of the Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department at MOPH, says that there will eventually be enough doses available to vaccinate everyone in Qatar in 2021.
