The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has issued an emergency use authorisation for Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine.
This is the second Covid-19 vaccine, after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, to be approved for use in Qatar by the MoPH.
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine was approved after the ministry's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Control carried out an extensive review of the vaccine and assessed the results of clinical studies conducted on tens of thousands of volunteers.
This is the second Covid-19 vaccine, after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, to be approved for use in Qatar by the MoPH.
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine was approved after the ministry's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Control carried out an extensive review of the vaccine and assessed the results of clinical studies conducted on tens of thousands of volunteers.
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The MoPH approval follows similar authorisation of Moderna's vaccine by health agencies in the US, Canada, the European Union, the UK and Switzerland.
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's Covid-19 vaccine has showed it is safe and highly effective. The authorisation from MoPH means we can soon begin administering the Moderna vaccine along with the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as we expand our national vaccination programme in Qatar."
Dr al-Khal said with high demand for Covid-19 vaccines around the world, Qatar will now benefit from the availability of two vaccines. He 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.
Meanwhile, Dr Aisha Ibrahim al-Ansari, director of Pharmacy and Drug Control and chair of the Vaccine Procurement Taskforce, Qatar, said: "Qatar's proactive approach to securing vaccine agreements has proved highly effective.
"We were clear from the outset that we only wanted internationally approved, safe and effective vaccines for the people of Qatar. We will soon receive the first delivery of Moderna vaccines and while this will be a limited quantity initially, this is an encouraging development and we can expect regular, larger deliveries of both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to arrive in Qatar in the next days and weeks," she added.
The MoPH approval follows similar authorisation of Moderna's vaccine by health agencies in the US, Canada, the European Union, the UK and Switzerland.
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's Covid-19 vaccine has showed it is safe and highly effective. The authorisation from MoPH means we can soon begin administering the Moderna vaccine along with the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as we expand our national vaccination programme in Qatar."
Dr al-Khal said with high demand for Covid-19 vaccines around the world, Qatar will now benefit from the availability of two vaccines. He 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.
Meanwhile, Dr Aisha Ibrahim al-Ansari, director of Pharmacy and Drug Control and chair of the Vaccine Procurement Taskforce, Qatar, said: "Qatar's proactive approach to securing vaccine agreements has proved highly effective.
"We were clear from the outset that we only wanted internationally approved, safe and effective vaccines for the people of Qatar. We will soon receive the first delivery of Moderna vaccines and while this will be a limited quantity initially, this is an encouraging development and we can expect regular, larger deliveries of both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to arrive in Qatar in the next days and weeks," she added.
