Bahrain has become the world’s first country to let all citizens and residents nationwide schedule Covid vaccine appointments by app.
The Gulf nation, which has the second-highest vaccination rate globally, also allows users to choose between the Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinopharm injection.
Users of the BeAware app fill in their personal details and are granted a free-of-charge appointment within days followed by a second jab 21 days later.
Bahrain is aiming to vaccinate at least 5,000 individuals per day, with plans to eventually double that figure.
The country now has the second-highest rate of vaccination globally at 3.62 doses per 100 population, ahead of the UK at 1.39 and the US at 1.38.
The approach is different to other nations where only high-risk individuals can book appointments, or citizens are contacted by officials with pre-arranged times.
In November, Bahrain officially approved a Covid vaccine for frontline health workers and then rolled it out to all citizens and residents over the age of 18.
The kingdom has also made available a rapid testing service which can diagnose Covid-19 in 15 minutes without the need for a specialist laboratory.
GCC nations took a series of precautionary measures against the outbreak, including mass population testing and the construction of field hospitals, resulting in praise from the World Health Organisation.
Public buses have been converted into mobile testing units and citizens summoned for tests at random, while early interventions included screenings at entry points and restrictions on travel from high-risk areas.
All confirmed cases are quarantined and treated, with those unable to maintain social distancing at home accommodated in quarantine centres.
In the UAE, police have deployed smart helmets capable of scanning temperatures of hundreds of people every minute.
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