The previous vaccine eligibility was for those aged 50 and above.

Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health [MOPH] lowered the age threshold for Covid-19 vaccines to 40 on Tuesday.

The health ministry said the latest decision “comes as part of the phased roll-out of the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme”.

“In this second wave of the virus the healthcare system is now seeing more younger people becoming sick and needing medical care. Lowering the age limit to 40 years will enable this age group to get vaccinated and reduce their risk,” the ministry said in a statement.

(MOPH) has announced that it has lowered the age threshold for COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to 40 years of age.

The change comes as part of the phased roll-out of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program, pic.twitter.com/XgzhGDAqdK

— وزارة الصحة العامة (@MOPHQatar) March 30, 2021

Now, all those aged 40 and above can get the vaccine regardless of their health conditions and will be prioritised in vaccine appointments over the next four weeks.

However, the appointment and application process for vaccinations remains unchanged. Those eligible for the shots will still be contacted by the Primary Health Care Corporation [PHCC] via SMS or phone call to schedule their appointment.

Read also: 1 in 5 adults received first Covid-19 vaccination dose

So far, more than 765,000  doses have been administered in Qatar since the start of the vaccination campaign.

Nearly 22% of adults – 16 years or above – have received at least the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination. That means that one in five adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the ministry’s statistics.

The Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on Covid-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal said Qatar aims to vaccinate 90% of the population by the end of the year.

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