Qatar to inoculate World Cup visitors

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar is in talks with coronavirus vaccine makers to ensure all fans attending the 2022 World Cup in the country have been vaccinated, the foreign minister said Friday.

The Gulf nation is facing a resurgence of virus cases and deaths despite progress in its mass vaccination program, forcing authorities to impose a nationwide lockdown.

“We have been negotiating and talking to the vaccination providers on how we can make sure that everyone attending the World Cup is vaccinated,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.

“Right now, there are programs under development to provide vaccination to all the attendees of the World Cup,” he added during the Raisina Dialogue, a virtual event hosted by the Observer Research Foundation.

“We will be able, hopefully, to host a Covid-free event. We also hope that globally the pandemic will start to go down and disappear.”

Globally, no one vaccine certification system has yet been universally accepted or recognized, though the International Air Transport Association Travel Pass has gained popularity amongst Gulf airlines including Qatar Airways.

As of Friday, 194,930 of Qatar’s 2.75 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with 21,965 currently active cases — almost one percent of the population.

Over 26,000 vaccine jabs were administered on Friday, bringing the total to 1,209,648 doses, according to official data.

One in five of the 367 deaths Qatar has suffered since the start of the pandemic has been reported this month with officials blaming the more virulent British variant.

Last week, Qatar announced the re-disposition of strict lockdown measures, banning most indoor activities except retail and work in an effort to contain the virus.