Arab world gets ready for vaccinations

Even as the UAE launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive, it sent the first shipment of the registered Sinopharm vaccine to Egypt as a gift on December 11. It will be sending more deliveries of the vaccine t Cairo.

According to an Egyptian official, the vaccine will be administered free of charge for Egyptians, while priority in access will be given to medical teams, the elderly and those suffering from chronic ailments.

Bahrain plans to provide the COVID-19 vaccine for free for all citizens and residents, according to State news agency BNA. The December 10 statement said that distribution of the vaccine will be done through 27 medical centres.

In Saudi Arabia, health authorities have said that the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 will begin later this month. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority announced that it was registering the vaccine for import and use in the kingdom.

The vaccine will be first used for people over 65 years, health workers and those suffering from obesity, immunity deficiency and chronic diseases.

All public and private sector employees in the country will have access to the Pfizer vaccine starting from Q3 of 2021 while teachers will get it in July.

The vaccine will be made available in sufficient doses for all citizens and expatriates for free in Q3, said an official. But the use of the Pfizer vaccine will not be mandatory.

Oman

Oman’s Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Saidi confirmed in November that 40% of the country’s population will receive vaccination in the first stage when it arrives by the end of the year.

He also said that basic service providers on the frontlines, checkpoints’ employees, people with chronic diseases, and the elderly will get priority.

One of the conditions for Oman to use the vaccine is the vaccine’s approval from international organisations like EMA (European Medical Agency) and FDA (Food and Drug Administration, US). On December 12, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use in individuals 16 years of age and older.

The Sultanate, in a show of increased confidence in containing the coronavirus and boosting tourism, has allowed visa-free arrival for 103 more countries and exempted tourists from the mandatory requirement of conducting the pre-flight COVID-19 test and pre-arrival quarantine.