Second vaccination drive-thru opens to accelerate inoculation drive

The centre is the second of its kind in Qatar and welcomes patients on weekdays and weekends.

A new Covid-19 drive-through vaccination centre has opened in Al Wakra, health authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The facility operates “in the same manner as the Lusail Center”, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said.

The new centre is located behind Al Janoub Stadium and will be operating daily from 11am to 10pm. However, the last entrance to get vaccinated is at 9pm. 

“PHCC will notify eligible people if their second dose will be administered at one of the drive-through centres, a primary health centre or Qatar National Convention Centre,” stated the ministry.

Those eligible to receive the second vaccine do not need an appointment to attend the Al Wakra centre, HMC confirmed.

“People cannot visit the drive-through centre on a day other than the set date for the second dose,” a HMC tweet said.

It noted that people who took the Pfizer vaccine must attend 21 days after their first dose, while those who took the Moderna vaccine are expected to receive the second shot 28 days after the first.

“The Al Wakra Covid-19 Drive-Through Vaccination Centre will operate in the same manner as the Lusail Center, with both facilities catering for people receiving their second dose of either the Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna vaccine,” said Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at HMC.

Those visiting Al Wakra must also show their QID, health card, vaccination card, green status on Ehteraz and wear a mask. 

“People attending the drive-through centre will be seen on a first-come first-seen basis. At peak times you may be required to wait while other people are seen first,” according to MoPH. 

Masks must be worn “at all times in their vehicles while at the drive-through centre. Even if the vehicle has only one occupant, they must still wear a mask as they will be interacting with medical staff at the centre,” MoPH added.

Attendees can visit with family members or friends who are also due their second dose on the same day, as long as they are adhering to the precautionary measures inside the vehicle.

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“Note that a maximum of four people are allowed in one vehicle. Vehicles with more than four occupants will not be admitted to the drive-through centre. No pets are allowed inside vehicles when visiting the drive-through centre,” the ministry added in a statement. 

Those visiting in a taxi will be accepted, though no patients will be allowed on foot. 

The drive-through vaccination process

Upon arrival, security will check the Ehteraz status for all those inside the vehicle before the driver is then directed to one of the primary waiting lanes.

The first stop after that will be the assessment pod.

“A member of the drive-through centre team will ask for the QID, health card and vaccination card for each of the car occupants and they will ask a few quick assessment questions. All occupants should always remain inside the vehicle,” MoPH explained.

After registration is complete, patients will receive their vaccination and ID cards and they will be asked to drive forward to the next stop.

At the vaccination pod a member of the drive-through team will take each occupant’s vaccination card and will administer the vaccine through the window.

Once all occupants have been vaccinated, the driver will be asked to drive into the observation parking area where patients will be required to wait in their cars for a short period of time to ensure no reactions or side effects are experienced.

“Paramedic teams will be on site in the unlikely event that anyone has a reaction requiring emergency medical support,” MoPH assured.

Finally, once the wait is over, the observation team will hand each attendee the completed vaccination card and allow patients to leave the drive-through centre.

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