‘No compulsion’ in taking Covid-19 vaccine, Qatar health official says

Over 1 million people in Qatar are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as the country continues to expand its vaccination campaign. 

Non-vaccinated individuals will be able to enjoy the same privileges as those that have received the full dosage of the injection once the country reaches its target, Head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Dr. Soha Al Bayat said on Qatar TV.

The health official also stressed that the country does not force anyone to take the vaccine, but encouraged the community to receive it to utilise privileges offered during the gradual lifting of Covid- 19 restrictions.

“We do not force anyone to take Covid-19 vaccine and by the time we reach the targeted percentage of vaccinated people, those who are non-vaccinated will enjoy the same privileges of in the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions,” Al Bayat said.

“Non-vaccinated people will be able to avail the privileges later compared to those who are vaccinated. The number of people who are really exempted from taking Covid-19 vaccine are very small. We encourage the remaining people to take the vaccine to enjoy the privileges available at present.”

For both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine, a period of 14 days must be completed after taking the second dose in order to enjoy the privileges that come with phase one of the return to normalcy, the official added.

Those that have recovered from the novel virus are also required to wait 14 days from the date of infection.

“They can download the certificate of recovery from MyHealth portal ‘Sehati’ or use sick leave certificate issued by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) after they are discharged from the hospital or health centres, or any paper to prove the past infection,” Al Bayat explained, adding that the privileges are available for those who recovered within the last 9 months.

Second wave coming to an end

Qatar’s daily reported Covid-19 cases have been drastically decreasing in recent weeks, with health officials assuring that the country is on the verge of ending its second wave.

In the last couple days, the ministry of public health has been reporting less than 300 total cases daily—marking a drastic dip since April of this year.

The recent drop in numbers can be attributed to the availability of more vaccines as well as the opening of more vaccination centres, which allowed the country to exponentially ramp up its national inoculation campaign.

So far, 62% of Qatar’s eligible population have taken at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and over 1 million people in Qatar are now fully vaccinated. According to statistics issued by the ministry of health, over 2,545,193 vaccine doses have been administered since the start of the vaccination campaign.

In early May, Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health [MoPH] and Ministry of Commerce & Industry introduced a four-phase plan for the gradual lifting of restrictions following a significant drop in daily Covid-19 infections among the community.

Read also: Phase 1: Qatar outlines details for lifting of restrictions.

The new regulations include allowing five vaccinated individuals to gather indoors, 10 to gather outdoors, and the opening of salons and barbers at a 30% capacity only for vaccinated staff and customers.

Phase two of the lifting of restrictions is expected on June 18.

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