UAE has detected its first case of Omicron variant of Covid-19 on Wednesday in a fully vaccinated woman. The new variant is seen affecting even the individuals who have been administered with two doses. Taking a note of this, the Ministry of Health and Prevention has stressed on the critical importance of getting booster dose.

The UAE has recently announced the availability of Covid-19 booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik vaccines.

Some FAQs in this direction:

Q. Are booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine free of cost?

A. Yes, the booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine are free just like every vaccine in the UAE.

Q. Who are eligible to get a Covid-19 booster dose?

A. Fully vaccinated residents aged over 18 are eligible to get the booster dose six months after the second dose of Pfizer, Sinopharm or Sputnik vaccines.

Q. How to get a booster dose?

A. Residents are required to get appointments via the Ministry of Health and Prevention or Dubai Health Authority to receive the vaccine dose.

Q. Who must get booster shots?

A. Every UAE resident aged 18 and over must get the booster shot to develop additional protection against Covid-19 virus and its variants. It is specifically crucial for the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

Q. Since booster shots are not variant-specific, how do they give protection against new strains?

A. According to top infectious diseases specialist Anthony Fauci of US, “When you get a high enough level of an immune response, you get spillover protection”. Furthermore, multiple studies have shown that taking the booster dose increases immunity.