13 July 2021 – More than one million people in Bahrain have received 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, ensuring that almost 70% of the population is now provided with an additional layer of protection against the virus. The vaccines were provided to people in the country free of charge and regardless of their citizenship status, in line with WHO’s mandate for universal health coverage and the regional vision of Health for All by All. “I would like to congratulate Bahrain on being one of the most successful countries in the Region and worldwide in terms of population coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr Tasnim Atatrah, WHO Representative in Bahrain. “This momentous achievement is attributed to the country’s farsighted leadership and the multisectoral whole-of -government and whole-of-community response adopted in line with WHO recommendations.”     “However, while vaccines are critical in the fight against COVID-19, they are not the only tool to end the pandemic. Public health and social measures such as mask use, physical distancing, and other precautions are still important in saving lives and protecting one another. We urge everyone to continue to adhere to the public health and social measures that we know work to control virus transmission and protect lives,” Dr Atatrah added. Bahrain is applying a comprehensive package of public health measures to control transmission in the country, including close monitoring of the epidemic situation to inform the response while also taking to account the economic and social impact of these measures. Efforts have also been made to ensure full continuity of the essential package of health services so that people requiring treatment for other health conditions can continue to receive treatment without interruption.   Since March 2020 when WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic, ongoing transmission has overwhelmed health care systems around the world, resulting in a significant number of deaths, and posing a serious challenge to public health, societies and economies.