The UAE has witnessed positive results of its successful proactive measures aimed at combating the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent months. UAE's strategies have been described as balanced in terms of health and economy amid prevailing circumstances.

By balancing health and economic needs, the UAE has emerged as a successful model of adapting to the "new reality" after the pandemic. It has implemented effective measures to ensure the continuity of health and education systems along with the recovery of economic and commercial sectors. These measures have also assisted in the partial resumption of tourism and entertainment activities across the UAE.

Recently, the UAE organised a series of events, succeeding in the resumption of hosting global events that were impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The UAE hosted the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX) 2021, Gulfood 2021, the UAE Tour, and a number of sports events, which saw massive international presence.

In addition, the UAE made historic achievements with the successful launch of the Hope Probe to Mars and the beginning of operation of the second unit of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.

The country is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, while preparing for the next 50 years. A wide range of ambitious projects are underway to reinforce the UAE's position among advanced countries in the world.

According to the 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI), the UAE ranked first in the Arab region and second globally in terms of its proactive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is rapidly moving towards achieving herd immunity after administering a total of 10,563,125 COVID-19 vaccine doses as of May 2, 2021.

Notably, the UAE is leading the world in terms of COVID-19 distribution rate as well as international efforts and partnerships that have contributed to the abundance and diversity of available vaccines. As of now, the country has approved four types of COVID-19 vaccines - Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sputnik V.

At the same time, the UAE is continuously expanding its testing capabilities. As of May 2, more than 44,463,421 Coronavirus tests have been performed in the country, at a rate of 4.49 tests for every person.

The UAE leadership has also adopted a comprehensive economic support plan that includes an array of strategies with the aim of mitigating the repercussions of the pandemic. A flexible direct budget of AED256 billion has been allocated to contain the economic impact of the pandemic on community members and to protect consumers and companies.

WAM