The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) has announced that the UAE is effectively combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the country as new infections have reduced below 100 for the first time in 565 days.

According to official data, the UAE health sector has conducted a total of 317,254 COVID-19 PCR tests within 24 hours on October 17. In a significant development, only 99 tests came out to be positive at a 0.031 percent rate. Previously, it was on March 31, 2020, when the UAE reported COVID-19 infections below the 100-mark at 52 new cases.

Earlier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had announced that the worst of COVID-19 crisis is over in the country.

“The UAE worked as one team during the pandemic, making the country among the best globally in the fight against Covid-19,” he had tweeted in August, following a meeting of the UAE Cabinet.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals in the country have lauded the efforts of the UAE leadership for achieving this feat and combating COVID-19 while protecting the health and wellbeing of the people and keeping the economy running.

Speaking about the development, Dr Biji Bob Thomas, internal medicine specialist at an Aster Clinic in Sharjah, suggested that this might be the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE. He hailed the UAE leaders who have shown the way to tackling the pandemic by implementing a proactive response which included creating awareness, establishing field hospitals, introducing a robust vaccination programme and enforcing safety protocols.

"That’s why UAE is one of very few countries in the world to achieve this target," he added.

Dr Zaineb Sabri, specialist internal medicine at Medcare Hospital, Sharjah, underlined that the it is the impact of good government planning as well the mass vaccination programme that helped in creating an effective immune response and herd immunity against the virus.

"Vaccination of different age groups as young as four years old was a great strategic plan," Dr Sabri noted.

Dr Abdalkarim Nassar, a specialist pulmonologist at Burjeel Specialty Hospital in Sharjah, commended the UAE health sector's efforts in vaccinating more than 95 percent of the country's population in less than a year.

“Putting the right strategy in place and advanced planning have helped the UAE in its victory over the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic struck the nation, it opted for massive testing, tracing, and treating people — the right strategy for the time. When vaccines were invented, UAE was one of the first countries to start the vaccination campaign," Dr Nassar said.

Furthermore, the UAE was one of the first nations in the world to implement measures for booster vaccination to high-risk groups and the larger public that facilitated in increasing herd immunity against the virus.

Dr Nassar added that strict measures and adequate awareness helped in educating people about the best possible way to live with the virus without getting affected.

"All these factors have contributed significantly to reach the present state. And lastly, it is a moment for all – the leaders, health regulatory bodies, and most importantly, the frontline warriors – to celebrate and take pride in for they have defeated a deadly virus with unwavering grit and determination,” Dr Nassar added.