The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has announced that 510,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the COVID-19 National Vaccination Program.

The Ministry stated that the recent availability of greater quantities of both the Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines has helped increase the pace of the vaccination program, with over 100,000 doses being administered each week, meaning that every day around 14,000 of our most vulnerable members of society and essential workers are getting vaccinated and becoming protected against COVID-19.

The Ministry said that as it continues to highlight the importance of vaccination for the elderly, the number of older people receiving the vaccine is constantly rising. It is very reassuring to know that more than six out of every ten people aged 60 and above have now received at least their first dose of the vaccine, with 67 percent of people over 70 years of age, and 63 percent of people over 60 years of age having received the vaccine.

Since the beginning of February, the number of doses administered each week has increased by 270 percent and more than one in seven adults, 15 percent of Qatar's adult population, have now received at least one vaccine dose.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at HMC, explained that safety has always been prioritized in the COVID-19 National Vaccination Program.

"We were clear from the outset that we only wanted to administer internationally approved, safe and effective vaccines for the people of Qatar. Extensive clinical studies have showed the Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines to be safe, and it is reassuring that with more than 500,000 vaccine doses administered in Qatar, no reported serious side effects have been directly associated with the vaccine, and I encourage everyone to take the vaccine when their turn comes," added Dr. Al Khal.

The recent ramping up of the vaccination program has been made possible by the increased availability of vaccines, but significant work has been done to expand the options for people to access the vaccines, as Dr. Mariam Abdulmalik, Managing Director of Primary Health Care Corporation, explained: "Since the start of the vaccination program we have focused on streamlining the vaccination process within our primary health centers which has enabled us to achieve a constant increase in the number of vaccines administered daily across our 27 centers."

"Additionally, the PHCC vaccination center at the Qatar National Convention Center which opened at the start of February now regularly vaccinates more than 5,000 people each day including teachers, school administration staff and other priority groups. Additionally, the recent opening of the Lusail COVID-19 Drive-Through Vaccination Center, run by Hamad Medical Corporation in partnership with PHCC, has also significantly boosted capacity," added Dr. Abdulmalik.

(QNA)