Qatar health expert joins UN Covid-19 initiative

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health and Covid-19 Contact Track and Trace Lead for Qatar, has joined leading experts from around the world as part of Team Halo, an initiative of the United Nations and the Vaccine Confidence Project to engage millions of people in the international effort to find safe and effective vaccines for Covid-19.
Launched in mid-October, the initiative brings together around 20 international health experts and scientists as ‘guides' to share stories of their involvement in the development of a vaccine for Covid-19.
The guides share updates and facts related to Covid-19 vaccines via TikTok and other social media platforms.
'I am honoured to be part of this hugely important global initiative and have the opportunity to keep people updated, both here in Qatar and around the world, on the latest developments and progress in the international effort to find a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, said Dr al-Bayat.
'Here in Qatar we have already signed two agreements with international pharmaceutical companies to procure its Covid-19 vaccine as soon as they are released for global use and we are in advanced discussions with several other companies.
Our aim is to ensure that we have early access to the vaccine in Qatar as soon as clinical trials show a vaccine is safe and effective and quickly following their approval for public use, explained Dr al-Bayat.
To date, Dr al-Bayat has posted four video updates, in both Arabic and English, on TikTok covering various topics related to the Covid-19 vaccine which have been viewed more than 200,000 times.
'Dr Soha's extensive experience and expertise in the field of vaccination, combined with her ability to deliver messages in both Arabic and English, makes her a valuable member of our team of expert guides, said Anna Nolan, co-project director for Team Halo.
'The Team Halo initiative is delivering accurate and trusted information directly from leading experts in the field around the world. The initiative aims to increase public confidence in Covid-19 vaccines and counter misinformation by bringing the public closer to the people at the heart of the global search for the vaccine, added Nolan.
To keep up-to-date with Dr al-Bayat and her Team Halo stories, follow her TikTok account @dr.soha_qatar
For more information on Team Halo, visit https://teamhalo.org and follow the hashtags #teamhalo and #learnonticktok

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