Minister of Health meets with first recipients of Covid -19 vaccine

Doha: Dr. Hanan Mohammed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, met today with the first two people to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Qatar: Dr. Abdullah Juma al-Kubaisi and Dr. Mohammed Harb Farzat.  

“Qatar is one of the first countries in the world to provide the Covid -19 vaccine safely, effectively and certified to all its populations.” Dr. Hanan Al-Kuwari said.

Dr. Al Kubaisi and Dr. Farzat receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday, December 23^rd was the starting point of the Covid -19 vaccination campaign in Qatar. Over the first 12 days, the campaign has seen thousands of community members most vulnerable to health risks associated with Covid-19 and healthcare staff vaccinated.”   

“I was delighted to meet Dr. Al Kubaisi and Dr. Farzat and listen to their experience and how receiving the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech was a source of optimism for them, prompting them to invite other community members from the most vulnerable groups to the health risks associated with Covid-19 to receive the vaccine. I would like to thank all the people who received the vaccine for taking this step to protect themselves, others and play their role to help end this pandemic. Clinical trials have shown that the vaccine does not become fully effective until one week after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. We recommend that people who have received the vaccine continue to apply preventive measures.”

For the first phase of the vaccination campaign giving priority for people at high risk of severe complications in the case of Covid-19 infection, it includes: people 65 years of age and older, people with multiple chronic diseases, and health-care staff who frequently deal with Covid -19 cases.     

Dr. Abdullah Juma al-Kubaisi, a 79-year-old Qatari national and former president of Qatar University, commented on receiving the Covid-19 vaccine saying: “I am delighted to be the first person to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Qatar. The vaccination process was smooth and painless, and I have not felt any side effects since I got vaccinated. “I was very pleased to follow the fact that many other members of the community are receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and I call on all those who meet the requirements for vaccination to receive it as soon as possible.” 

Dr. Mohammed Harb Farzat, an 88-year-old Syrian national and a former professor at Qatar University, pointed to the challenges he and his family have experienced this year due to living under the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying: “Older people are at greater risk of severe symptoms in the event of Covid-19 infection, which means I have spent most of the past year under the threat of the Covid-19 virus. I would like to thank the wise leadership of Qatar and the health authorities for providing the Covid-19 vaccine so quickly to those most vulnerable to the health risks associated with this disease. I didn’t have any side effects after I got the first dose of the vaccine, and I look forward to receiving the second dose of the vaccine soon. “

“The public response to the vaccination campaign has been very encouraging, with the number of people receiving the Covid-19 vaccine growing on a daily basis in priority categories,” said Dr. AbdulLatif Al-Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on Covid-19 virus and head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Hamad Medical Corporation, who also attended the meeting. Access to the vaccine by more eligible people — including many prominent community figures and health officials who meet the vaccine requirements — contributes to strengthening and encouraging community confidence in vaccine safety. We also recommend that preventive measures continue to be applied after two doses of vaccine are obtained to provide additional protection.”