The coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination drive in Qatar will continue at the desired rate even though one vaccination centre was closed recently and two more will cease to operate this week, a senior health official said, noting that these were temporary solutions meant to achieve the targeted rate of inoculation in the community.
As announced by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) earlier, the Lusail drive-through vaccination centre was closed last week, to be followed by the closure of the Al Wakra drive-through and Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) vaccination facilities this week.
Speaking to Qatar TV yesterday, Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of vaccination at the MoPH, said these facilities were set up to reach out to more people in a short time span in order to respond to the demands of that period.
Despite their closure, the vaccination drive in the country would continue at an excellent rate through the 27 Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centres and the newly-opened Qatar Vaccination Centre – for Business and Industry Sector, in addition to the participation of a number of key entities in the vaccination campaign, such as Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Mowasalat (Karwa), and others, she noted.
Dr al-Bayat highlighted that Qatar has used the most trusted and effective vaccines that provide the highest possible levels of protection, besides being proven safe for people with almost no severe side effects reported so far.
The side effects mostly observed included mild symptoms of topical pain, mild rise in temperature and headache, all of which disappeared quickly.
She said that the MoPH closely follows up with vaccine manufacturers on any such updates, but so far nothing serious or alarming has been reported, stressing the safety of the vaccines used.
Dr al-Bayat said that the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in any country, including Qatar, is governed by the quantities supplied by the manufacturers, adding that the greater the supply, the more the number of doses administered.
She said that the process is going on well and most people are willing to take the vaccines, which have contributed greatly to bringing the number of new Covid-19 cases down recently, in addition to the high level of public awareness and the people’s commitment to abide by the preventative and precautionary measures.
According to data published by the MoPH yesterday, 3,075,375 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Qatar since the start of the programme, with 33,714 doses given in the past 24 hours.
The official reiterated that taking the Covid-19 vaccines in Qatar remains a matter of personal choice and is not compulsory.
She also stressed that the benefits of the vaccines far outweigh the risks if not taking them and becoming vulnerable to possible infection with all the potential complications.
