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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar has no plans to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory, according to a senior Ministry of Public Health official.
The public will be given the choice as to whether they receive the vaccine once it begins being rolled out, Dr Soha Al-Bayat, the head of vaccination, told Qatar TV in an interview.
She expressed hope that the public would choose to take the vaccine to protect themselves and the community, highlighting the level of awareness about the pandemic among the citizens and residents in the country.
With pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's announcement that its vaccine successfully prevented coronavirus infection, three candidates appear to be promising vital tools to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biotech firm Moderna and drug company partners Pfizer and BioNTech announced a few days ago that their vaccines were ready to be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization.
Doha
Qatar has no plans to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory, according to a senior Ministry of Public Health official.
The public will be given the choice as to whether they receive the vaccine once it begins being rolled out, Dr Soha Al-Bayat, the head of vaccination, told Qatar TV in an interview.
She expressed hope that the public would choose to take the vaccine to protect themselves and the community, highlighting the level of awareness about the pandemic among the citizens and residents in the country.
With pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's announcement that its vaccine successfully prevented coronavirus infection, three candidates appear to be promising vital tools to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biotech firm Moderna and drug company partners Pfizer and BioNTech announced a few days ago that their vaccines were ready to be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization.
Dr Bayat said the emerging reports suggest the effectiveness of these vaccine candidates, after they have been tested on thousands of volunteers, range between 90 and 95 percent.
Earlier, Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, the chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19, has said that Qatar will receive its first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech by the end of this year or early next year, if the vaccine gets the necessary regulatory approval. He said Qatar has also signed an agreement with Moderna to buy its potential vaccine as soon as it is approved and released for global use.
Dr Khal has also said that Qatar will make coronavirus vaccines free to residents and citizens.