COVID-19 vaccine is a step towards a safer community, normal life, says Dr Bayat

CATHERINE W GICHUKI DOHA Even though nearly 85 percent of the eligible population has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, more people need to ta...

CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHA Even though nearly 85 percent of the eligible population has taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, more people need to take the vaccine for a safer community, a Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) official has said.Dr Soha Al Bayat, head of Vaccination at the MoPH and the national lead for the COVID-19 Track and Trace, said: “Since the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the community in Qatar has shown great response. So far we have about 85 percent of the eligible population from age 12 and above who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine. We still need more people to take the vaccine. Each person that takes the vaccine is a step forward towards a safer community and going back to normal life,” she said.According to her, even with the 85 percent, there are still some segments of the community that they focus more on, such as the elderly from 65 years old and above, young people between the ages of 12 and 15 years old, and pregnant women. “So far, about nine out of 10 elderly people have taken the vaccine. However, that’s not enough. We need all of them to take the vaccine because they are at highest risk of complications of this infection,” she said.Dr Bayat urged parents to let their children get vaccinated, especially with the starting of the new academic year. She said even though complications of the infection may be less severe, they may transmit the disease to the vulnerable groups in the community. “Children aged between 12 and 15 years, even though they have less serious complications when it comes to the infection, have longer infection period and can transmit the disease to others who are more vulnerable. Therefore, we encourage parents to have their children vaccinated, especially with the preparation for the beginning of the new academic year to ensure safety and wellbeing of our children in classes,” she said.She also encouraged pregnant women to get vaccinated, assuring them of the safety of the vaccine for their condition. “Hundreds of thousands of pregnant women across the world have now taken the vaccine without noticeable serious side effects. Pregnant women have been found to have more serious infections compared to other women of their same age. That’s why we encourage all pregnant women to take the vaccine to protect themselves,” she said.