Hada News
Qatar opens free walk-in flu jabs at its health centres until end-March; Saudi and UAE flu campaigns have been under way since September
Qatar's national campaign runs to the end of March with no appointment needed at PHCC centres; Saudi Arabia is booking jabs through the Sehhaty app; the UAE's campaign also runs to March 2027. Qatar's health ministry advises vaccination before winter, especially in October or November.
Seasonal flu vaccination is now open in three Gulf health systems, each with its own way in.
Qatar: the Ministry of Public Health launched its national seasonal influenza vaccination and awareness campaign on 7 October, Qatar News Agency reported. It runs until the end of March, with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and government, semi-government and private facilities. The vaccine is free at all PHCC centres, at HMC facilities and at more than 50 private facilities. PHCC says no appointment is needed: eligible patients can walk in, and fast-track procedures are meant to cut waiting times. Dr Hamad Eid Al-Romaihi, director of health protection and communicable disease control at the ministry, said people should get the new vaccine every year before winter, especially in October or November, and that the body takes about two weeks to build full immunity.
Saudi Arabia: the Ministry of Health began offering the seasonal vaccine on 16 September, with appointments through the "Seasonal Influenza Vaccine" service in the Sehhaty app, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ministry said 95.5% of intensive-care admissions for flu last year involved people who had not been vaccinated, and that vaccination cuts the risk of death among older people by more than two-thirds.
UAE: the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) launched its 2026–27 awareness campaign on influenza and seasonal respiratory diseases on 15 September, running until March 2027, WAM reported. MoHAP says flu vaccination is recommended from six months of age. WAM's report does not list booking routes or prices, so residents should check with their health provider or insurer.
Who is prioritised: the three lists overlap. All name older people (50 and over in Qatar, over 50 in Saudi Arabia), young children (six months to five years in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, under five in the UAE), pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses and health workers. Saudi Arabia adds people with severe obesity; the UAE adds people with weakened immune systems.
Why it matters: both Qatar's ministry and MoHAP point to the roughly two-week lag before protection builds, which is why they urge people to get vaccinated ahead of the winter peak rather than once it arrives.
Sources: Qatar News Agency, 7 Oct 2026; Saudi Press Agency, 16 Sep 2026; Emirates News Agency (WAM), 15 Sep 2026.
Watch next: any extension of free or walk-in access in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and mid-season uptake figures from the three ministries.