Qatar’s latest Covid-19 drive-through vaccination centre at Al Janoub parking lot in Wakra has come at the right time as the country scaled up vaccine administration since the start of the national programme.
More than 870,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have already been administered through more than 35 vaccination sites across Qatar and the campaign is set to accelerate further, according to Hamad Medical Corporation. 
Users of both the drive-through vaccination centres at Lusail and Wakra have found these to be very useful.  
The Al Wakra facility is the second drive-through vaccination centre being opened in Qatar, following the success of the first one in Lusail. The Al Wakra centre will operate in the same manner as the Lusail centre, with both facilities catering to people receiving their second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
The Ministry of Public Health Residents has advised residents not to visit the drive-through centres before the due day of their second dose. A senior health official said vaccination teams will not administer the second dose earlier than the due date as this could negatively impact the effectiveness of the vaccine. 
Individuals who have received the Pfizer vaccine should attend for their second dose 21 days after the first dose, and for those receiving the Moderna vaccine the second dose is given 28 days after the first dose.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health, hundreds of vaccination health officials are working diligently, often under harsh weather conditions, to keep our population safe. They deserve our praise, thanks and appreciation. 
Recently, HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari said the drive-through vaccination centre in Al Wakra would further strengthen the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme and boost access to vaccines for people in around the city.
“Since opening at the end of February, the Lusail Covid-19 drive-through Vaccination Centre has provided a convenient way for thousands of people to receive their second dose and has been an important part of our strategy to expand the vaccination programme,” the minister said.
The World Health organisation (WHO) insists that everyone, everywhere who could benefit from safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines should have access as quickly as possible, starting with those at highest risk of serious disease or death. 
Vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent disease and save lives – now more than ever. When we get vaccinated, we aren’t just protecting ourselves, but also those around us.
Safe and effective vaccines will be a gamechanger: but for the foreseeable future we must continue to wear masks, physically distance, avoid crowds and apply other health measures. 
Being vaccinated doesn’t mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk, particularly because it is still not clear the degree to which the vaccines can protect not only against disease but also against infection and transmission.
Qatar’s Cabinet recently announced a raft of measures to curtail the spread of Covid-19, which according to our health authorities, has shown a rise in the number of infections in the past few weeks, with many of the patients requiring hospitalisation.