Bahrain to start nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign soon – King

King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said on Wednesday that the Gulf country would soon begin a nationwide campaign for providing a free COVID-19 vaccine for all citizens and residents, noting that vaccination will be voluntary.

Bahrain has officially approved two vaccines against the coronavirus, including the one developed by the Pfizer and BioNTech and the vaccine produced by Chinese company Sinopharm.

"We would like to announce that Bahrain will soon start implementing its national campaign to provide a safe and licensed vaccine to combat the virus, and we have directed that it be available free of charge to every citizen and resident, provided that it is optional for those who wish to take it, and we all hope that we will soon return to normal life, even better than it once was," the king said, as quoted by the BNA state news agency, in his Wednesday address to the nation on the country's national days running from December 16-17.

The king also ordered the creation of a national medal named after Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for medical merit, which is awarded to health specialists, including doctors, nurses and those who died while performing their medical duties throughout the pandemic.

On behalf of the country, the ruler expressed gratitude and appreciation "for the constant efforts of all frontline workers facing the pandemic, as they are the ones who have shown clear perseverance, courage and patience to overcome difficulties for the sake of a better tomorrow, which will lead to the road of recovery."

To date, the Bahraini Ministry of Health has confirmed 89,444 COVID-19 cases, including 348 fatalities and more than 87,400 recoveries.