Qatar seeks Covid-19 vaccinations for all World Cup visitors

Qatar said it’s in talks with coronavirus vaccine makers to ensure all 2022 soccer World Cup visitors are vaccinated.

“Right now there are programmes under development to provide vaccination to all the attendees of the World Cup,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Friday during a virtual conference.

“We will be able, hopefully, to host a Covid-free event.”

The Gulf state has seen a resurgence in Covid-19 cases despite pushing ahead with its inoculation programme, forcing a lockdown to be reimposed. Qatar has administered 1.2 million jabs – enough for 21.6 per cent of its people, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

Qatar, one of the richest countries on the planet per capita, is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure construction ahead of the FIFA event, fueling an oversupply in property.