Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, affirmed that the restrictions targeting the unvaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19) will remain in force, as will the regular testing process as long as the world has not reached the level of vaccination with which it can be said that the virus has been eliminated.

During the “Environmental Economics and Public Health” session, which was held within the activities of the Qatar Economic Forum in cooperation with Bloomberg, which is currently being held via video communication technology, the Minister stressed the importance of “testing” as a safe matter to open various business and economic activities.

She expressed her hope that Qatar will reach the stage of herd immunity, especially since vaccination significantly reduces the transmission of the virus, but does not eliminate it completely, adding:

"What it will look like after the policies of (testing) and (herd immunity), is something we are still working on, But we are optimistic that most countries will reach the required level of vaccination and then we will see the number of tests decrease and economies return to what they were in different countries.”

Regarding the selection and adoption of the 'Pfizer' and 'Moderna' vaccines in Qatar, the Minister of Public Health said:

“Since the beginning of the epidemic, we knew that to get out of the effects of this pandemic, we had to carry out the vaccination process, and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir, was keen. The country, to get the best vaccines, and at that time there were experiments and we found that 'Pfizer' and 'Moderna' were promising, and we bet on that and we worked closely with the pharmaceutical companies that produce them and we were keen to provide sufficient quantities to our people.”

She added that this bet was smart as after it was proven that they are the most effective vaccines, and confirms that new technologies are very important, as well as the importance of supporting innovation in the field of pharmacology and pharmaceuticals.

Regarding the possibility that the source of the coronavirus (COVID-19) was the leak from a laboratory, Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari said:

"There was an investigation, and this investigation says that it is not a leak from a laboratory, and we will see more as the investigations continue."

Regarding her being the only woman in the Cabinet and her great role in facing the coronavirus, the Minister affirmed that H.H. The Amir, and before him, H.H the Father Amir are great supporters of women, their education and their role. In the country, therefore, the empowerment of women and the rights of children and people with disabilities are an agenda that is always discussed in the Council of Ministers.

She pointed out that Qatar has the highest percentage of educated women, and that university graduates are more than men, indicating that there are women who play an important role in all sectors, and that the health sector is mostly female.

Source: Lusail News

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Nabeela

Content Writer

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