* 'We hope large percentage of Qatar's population receives vaccine by summer'
* 12% of population over the age of 16 years have received at least one dose
* UK strain spotted in Qatar; Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines effective against new variants * Fasting person can take vaccine without hesitation
* Official reiterates need to follow preventive measures
* 45% of teachers and school administrators vaccinated so far

 

 The Covid-19 vaccine will be provided to health workers in private hospitals and clinics starting next week, and they will be contacted accordingly and given appointments, a senior health official has said.
Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Health Strategic Group on Covid-19 and head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), also told a press conference organised by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Wednesday that around 12% of the population over the age of 16 years have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
"We hope that a large percentage of Qatar's population would have received the vaccine by this summer," he said.
Dr Ahmed al-Mohamed, acting chairman of HMC's Intensive Care Units, also addressed the press conference.
Dr al-Khal said since the introduction of restrictions at the start of February, the combined efforts of the government and members of the community have succeeded in slowing the rate of increase for new Covid-19 cases in Qatar.


Dr Abdullatif al-Khal (R) and Dr Ahmed al-Mohamed during the press meet



"However, we continue to see a significant number of new cases each day and every day people are becoming sick due to the Covid-19, with many requiring admissions to hospital to manage their symptoms and even admission into ICU for life-saving treatment," he observed.
He said the emergence of new strains of the virus posed challenges to many countries, including those in the Middle East. "Qatar's strict quarantine policy for returning travellers enabled us to delay the introduction of new variants into this country for several months but we are now seeing positive Covid-19 cases in the region and in Qatar with the new variant known as B.1.1.7 (UK strain)," Dr al-Khal noted. "This new variant is much more contagious and spreads more easily between people than the existing strain and may be associated with increased severity of the disease."
The good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being used in Qatar's vaccination programme are effective against the new variants, he stressed.
On the question of receiving the vaccine during fasting, he said syringe-based vaccination does not necessitate a break from fasting. So, a fasting person should not hesitate to take the vaccine when it is his/her turn, he noted.
With regard to taking the vaccine during pregnancy, Dr al-Khal explained that there is no indication that vaccination is not safe during pregnancy, whether for the mother or the foetus, and it is known that infection with the virus during pregnancy may lead to severe complications, Qatar News Agency reported.
More than 380,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the Covid-19 National Vaccination Programme, with more than 15,000 a day at present, and it is reassuring to know that no serious side effects have been reported, the official said.
Dr al-Khal revealed that more than half of the elderly population in Qatar has received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, calling on the elderly and groups most at risk of this disease who have not yet been vaccinated to get inoculated.
More than 70% of health workers at HMC and around 67% of primary healthcare workers have received the vaccine, he informed. Also, more than 45% of teachers and administrators working in public and private schools have got the Covid-19 vaccine so far.
Dr al-Khal explained that the MoPH has begun vaccinating frontline workers in many ministries and State institutions, and also started the registration of imams, muezzins and mosque workers to receive the vaccine.
Due to the availability of more vaccines and the opening of additional vaccination centres, including the facility at Qatar National Convention Centre and the drive-through vaccination centre in Lusail, the ministry was able to expand the scope of the vaccination programme by including more segments of the population within the groups that meet the requirements for vaccination, he said, adding that those aged 50 and over can currently receive the vaccine.
"The pace of the vaccination programme means that there is finally hope of a gradual return to normal for us here in Qatar and people around the world. But this will not happen in the next few weeks or months," Dr al-Khal said.
"Covid-19 will continue to be a threat to our health for the majority of 2021 and until all eligible members of our population have been vaccinated, we must continue to follow the preventive measures," he reiterated.
In the event of a significant increase in the number of cases in the coming period, further restrictions are likely to be imposed, he added, advising people to avoid social gatherings to prevent the virus from spreading.
Dr al-Khal also referred to the recently announced decision to extend the quarantine exemption period from three months to six months, starting 14 days after receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Qatar.