The Dubai Health Authority(DHA) on Wednesday launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The DHA will work in coordination with Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management and the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre to distribute Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine across the emirate.

The development has come after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to combat the virus. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention also registered the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country.

According to the DHA, the campaign will be carried out in various phases. In the first phase, it will target four main categories of people, which will include:

·        First category: Emirati and resident elders aged 60 years and above, people with chronic diseases and people of determination

·        Second category: Frontline workers in both the public and private sectors

·        Third category: Vital-sector workers

·        Fourth Category: People from the public who wish to get vaccinated

In accordance with the planned stages and priorities, the DHA has also approved specific numbers from each category to carry out vaccinations.

As per a WAM report, first individuals to receive the COVID-19 vaccine include an 84-year-old senior citizen named Ali Salem Ali Aladidi, along with 36-year-old ShamaaSaif Rashid Alalili from Dubai Ambulance, 45-year-old DHA nurse named Asha Susan Philip, 37-year-old RTA driver Asif Khan Fazle Subhan, and 32-year-old Adel Hassan Shukralla from the Dubai Police force.

The vaccination process will be carried out at six DHA health facilities, including Zabeel Primary Health Care Centre, Nad Al Hamr Primary Health Care Centre, Barsha Primary Health Care Centre, Al Mizhar Primary Health Care Centre, Uptown Mirdif Medical Fitness Centre and Hatta Hospital.

The Authority has called upon UAE residents to register and book appointments for their COVID-19 vaccinations either through the DHA app or toll-free number 800 342.

At the same time, the DHA has urged the public to continue their compliance with precautionary measures and lead a healthy lifestyle even after they receive the vaccine jab. The DHA also called on the community to cooperate with the authorities in ensuring sustained compliance with preventive measures in a bid to strengthen the government's efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Authority highlighted that Dubai has emerged as one of the safest cities in the world due to its success in complying with the comprehensive measures to combat the virus. The DHA undertook a number of necessary preventive measures, including rigorous monitoring, surveillance and quarantine protocols aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. It also took proactive action by stepping up its COVID-19 PCR testing capacity to more than 80,000 tests per day to ensure that the maximum number of people are tested for the virus.

The DHA further underlined that the provision of a COVID-19 vaccine in the emirate has come in line with the Dubai government’s keenness to protect the public from risks of infection. It further added that the government will continue its contribution to the global efforts to combat the pandemic crisis. The Authority has also highlighted that the vaccination drive is a crucial step to enhance and strengthen Dubai’s integrated healthcare system and its comprehensive strategy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

WAM