Qatar's Ministry of Public Health has announced that it is working with pharmaceutical companies to ensure the next shipment of the vaccine arrives in the country "as early as possible in 2021."

"Everyone who needs to be vaccinated will be able to do so throughout the year," the Ministry affirmed in a graphic shared on its Twitter page.

The country received its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine on December 21, 2020. Earlier the same day, the MoPH  approved this COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Qatar.

The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive kicked off on December 23, 2020, and will continue until January 31, 2021.

During this phase, "vaccines are being prioritized for people most at risk of severe complications from the virus," MoPH highlighted.

The three priority groups include 1. People aged 70 years and above. 2. People with severe chronic conditions. 3. Healthcare workers with repeated exposure to COVID-19.

In the first phase of Qatar’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign vaccines are being prioritized for people most at risk of severe complications from the virus: 1) People aged 70 years of age and above 2) People with severe chronic conditions pic.twitter.com/WZjJvqH3Jt

— وزارة الصحة العامة (@MOPHQatar) January 1, 2021

For the current phase, those who are eligible to receive the vaccine will be contacted directly by PHCC by SMS or phone call in order to fix an appointment.

The MoPH underlined that community members will soon "be able to call to book an appointment or do that online."

Vaccinations at the health centers are only being administered to those who have pre-arranged appointments.

The MoPH has asked all community members who do not fall under the priority groups to wait until it is their turn.

So far, under the first phase of the drive, hundreds of individuals, including Qatar's ruler, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, some top officials from the health sector and community dignitaries, have already received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine requires a second shot 21 days after the first one. 

Earlier this week, a senior health official confirmed that no side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine have been seen in people vaccinated in Qatar until now.

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Cover Image Credit: Al Watan