Doha: If Pfizer and BioNtech vaccine gets the necessary regulatory approval Qatar will be able to receive an initial quantity of vaccines by the end of this year or very early in 2021, a senior health official said.
Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation said: “We have been working with Pfizer and BioNTech since the summer and they are confident that if their vaccine gets the necessary regulatory approval Qatar will be able to receive an initial quantity of vaccines by the end of this year or very early in 2021.”
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) considers the announcement by Pfizer and BioNtech very promising as it shows that great progress is being made on the development and testing of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, MoPH said in a statement published on Twitter.
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“Pfizer and BioNtech stated that preliminary analysis on their vaccine shows it can prevent more than 90 percent of people from getting COVID-19 which is better than we hoped for or expected.
“This news gives us good reason to be optimistic that life can return towards normal sooner rather than later, but it is important to note that these are the initial results of the study and additional results of the ongoing clinical trials is required to confirm the vaccine’s effectiveness,” the statement added.