The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced that 327,582 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the Covid-19 National Vaccination Program.

"Ten percent of Qatar's adult population has already received at least one vaccine dose. It is very important that everyone completes the vaccine by having the second dose to ensure its efficacy," said HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health.

"Our decision to focus on the most vulnerable in the initial stages of the vaccination program has helped to ensure that we have been able to protect many of the high-risk, elderly population. I urge all the remaining elderly and at risk population to take the opportunity of vaccinating", al-Kuwari said.

"We are now significantly expanding our vaccination program and have seen an impressive increase in the number of vaccines administered each week throughout the program."

"With the recent availability of Moderna vaccines alongside the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines the vaccination program is moving at pace," she added.

The milestone comes as data shows that more than half the people aged 60 and above among the most vulnerable in the population - have now received at least their first dose of the vaccine, with 61 percent of people over 80 years of age, 61 percent of people over 70 years of age, and 55 percent of people over 60 years of age having received the vaccine.

The MOPH stated that in the first six weeks of the vaccination program around 60,000 doses were administered to people most at risk from severe complications due to Covid-19, while the last six weeks have seen more than 267,000 doses administered to the priority groups.

"Due to the availability of more vaccines and the opening of additional vaccination centers, including Qatar National Convention Center and the Lusail Covid-19 Drive-Through Vaccination Center, we have been able to widen the eligibility to include more sections of our population," said Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on Covid-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation.

"There is growing clinical evidence around the world showing that both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines provide a good level of protection after just one dose. However, it remains very important that everyone completes the vaccine by having the second dose to ensure its efficacy" added Dr al-Khal.

The current priority groups eligible for vaccination are as follows: People aged 50 years of age and above regardless of their health conditions; People with moderate chronic medical conditions at any age; and additional healthcare professionals and other key workers in different ministries and government institutions, including teachers and administration staff in education

The appointment process remains the same, with Primary Health Care Corporation teams contacting eligible people directly to offer appointments. Anyone over 60 years of age can call PHCC on 4027 7077 to book an appointment at a primary health center and an online registration system is available on the MOPH website for people to register their interest in receiving the vaccine.