BAHRAIN’S Covid-19 response is a model that other countries should emulate to end the pandemic, said a top visiting UN official.
The UN General Assembly’s 76th session president Abdulla Shahid, who met Bahrain officials yesterday as part of his visit, praised the kingdom for its proactive measures in tackling the pandemic.
He said that for the third year in a row, Covid-19 looms over the globe, adding that the spread of the Omicron variant has been a particularly cruel blow.
“Bahrain is one example of a country that has run a highly successful vaccination programme,” said Mr Shahid, who is visiting the kingdom until tomorrow at the invitation of the Bahrain government.
“While here, I think it apt to highlight why its programme has been so effective, because it underscores why I have made global vaccination such an important priority for this session.
“From the very beginning, Bahrain placed its trust in science and in the medical community, by deferring to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and approving all Covid-19 vaccines authorised by that body.”
Mr Shahid pointed out that health authorities in Bahrain began offering jabs to its citizens and residents free of charge.
“It has thus far approved six WHO-approved vaccines for use.
“Bahrain, to its credit, was the first country to approve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use.
“Its quick approval of vaccines, and commitment to a speedy and comprehensive vaccine rollout ensured it achieved one of the highest vaccination rates in the region.
“It has now fully vaccinated two-thirds of its population and provided a booster shot to more than half of them.”
These measures, he said, helped the country maintain a manageable caseload and “avert the level of tragedy that befell countries with lower vaccination rates”.
Having a sufficient stock of vaccines was not enough, but this needed to be complemented by strong distribution logistics, and awareness campaigns on vaccine efficacy.
“Bahrain has been highly successful on that front as well,” said Mr Shahid.
“We must now approach vaccine distribution with the same energy and commitment we brought to bear in developing them.
“In this task we can turn to examples of countries that have done this at the national level, so we can emulate their success globally.
“That is our path out of this pandemic.”
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