Moderna vaccine available in all 27 PHCC health centers, QNCC, and drive-through vaccination centers

As Qatar continues to accelerate the pace of its National COVID-19 Vaccination Program, the country has been trying to make it easier for eligible people to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is now administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine across all 27 health centers,  Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), Lusail drive-through vaccination center, and Al Wakra drive-through vaccination center. 

With the availability of these venues, more and more eligible citizens and residents are able to get the COVID-19 vaccines.

In a weekly update, issued yesterday, MoPH highlighted that 21.9 percent of Qatar's total population (16 years and above) has gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) issued emergency use authorization for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in February. 

Moderna vaccine was approved after the MoPH’s Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Control carried out an extensive review of the vaccine and assessed the results of clinical studies conducted on tens of thousands of volunteers. 

This approval by the MoPH follows similar authorization of Moderna’s vaccine by health agencies in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Dr. Samya Abdulla, Executive Director of Operations at Primary Health Care Corporation said, “The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown equivalent degrees of efficacy, both, vaccines showed the efficacy of 95% at preventing symptomatic Covid infection after two doses.

The most common side effects recorded are injection site pain, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain, with very few people reporting a fever. With the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, side effects are more common after the second dose. 

These side effects are a sign of the immune system kicking in. They do not signal that the vaccine is unsafe. To date, there are no serious, long-term side effects associated with receipt of these vaccines, which will be closely monitored as their use expands.” 

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine can be given to people aged 16 years and above while Moderna can be given to those 18 and above.

The Ministry is also collecting feedback regarding side effects, if any, faced by individuals who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine.

Individuals wishing to share feedback can do so by clicking on the ‘COVID-19 Vaccination Feedback’ section on the Ministry's website.

The Ministry stressed the importance of feedback as it will allow health authorities to record and monitor any symptoms people have.