Doha: Qatar University (QU) hosted a webinar on ‘Scientific research and the COVID-19 Vaccination Debate’, in line with Research Wednesday Series.
The event was moderated by Hadi Yassine, Associate Professor of infectious diseases and Section Head of Biomedical Research– BRC at QU. Speakers included Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Public Health and Prof. Laith Abu-Raddad, Professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar.
The webinar shed light on Qatar’s development and efficiency towards COVID-19 vaccination and Qatar’s role in scientific research. The speakers discussed COVID-19 crisis has been controlled in Qatar; how successfully they have used scientific-based knowledge to develop strategies, conducted massive vaccination campaigns, apply and implement strict measures.
Whereas Sheikh Dr. Mohammed discussed the importance and significance of third dose of vaccination. He mentioned that initially the third dose of vaccination is offered for individuals suffering from certain immunodeficiency diseases and to those who are particularly vulnerable to serious complications. He explained that the individuals from this group are more at risk of developing serious and prolonged illness in the event of infection with the virus because they may not obtain the same level of immunity after receiving two doses of the vaccine compared to people who do not suffer from immunodeficiency.
He noted that groups eligible for the third dose of the vaccine, include individuals who are currently receiving cancer treatments to treat tumors or leukemia. Individuals who have had an organ transplant and are using drugs that suppress the immune system, those who have had a stem cell transplant within the past two years, or are using immunosuppressive drugs, or individuals with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
