More than 90,000 people have registered their interest, following the launch of the online registration for the Covid-19 vaccine, Primary Health Care Corporation managing director Dr Mariam Abdulmalik has said.

‘People registering online to get the vaccine and who meet the criteria for the first priority groups will be given earlier appointments,’ she explained during a news conference on Qatar TV on Thursday.

‘People who register through the new online system introduced by the Ministry of Public Health for Covid-19 vaccination, but not in one of the listed priority groups, will have their interest recorded and saved and contacted when they become eligible.’

No serious side effects have been recorded in anyone in Qatar for the first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the official stressed.

‘In the first few weeks of the campaign, our medical teams have carefully monitored all patients following their vaccinations as this is essential to check for possible side effects,’ Dr Abdulmalik said.

‘As with any vaccination, we have seen a small number of mild side effects, mainly soreness at the site of the injection,’ she pointed out.

‘From January 13, many thousands of people began receiving their second dose of the vaccine and with operations running smoothly we expanded the vaccination campaign across 27 health centres across Qatar.

‘This has boosted our capacity to administer vaccines and as more vaccines become available in Qatar, we will continue to increase the output.

‘Patients eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1 are being contacted directly by phone/SMS to advise them of their selection and invited to attend an appointment at one of the health centres.

‘As more vaccines become available in Qatar, the online registration system will become a valuable resource to contact people who wish to receive the vaccine as early as possible,’ Dr Abdulmalik added.

The news conference was also attended by Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Strategic Group on Covid-19 and head of the Infectious Diseases Division at Hamad Medical Corporation; and Dr Hamad al-Romaihi, director of Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control at the Public Health Department and co-chair of the National Pandemic Preparation Committee.

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