In yet another global health achievement, the UAE has administrated more than 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines at a rate of 52.56 doses per 100 people so far.

Addressing a weekly media briefing, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, highlighted that the country has conducted more than 28 million COVID-19 tests in its efforts to combat the pandemic crisis. Speaking at the press briefing, she affirmed that the Ministry of Health and Prevention is continuously working to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all members of the community, with a priority to senior citizens, people with chronic diseases, and people of determination. At the same time, those eligible for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines are also being prioritized by the health authorities.

The UAE has successfully reached a rate of 48.46 percent of vaccinations within the elderly population, which is a much-needed accomplishment to reach the acquired immunity, Al Hosani added. It will further help in reducing the number of infected cases and complications resulting from the disease in order to control the pandemic.

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She highlighted that COVID-19 vaccinations have been provided to 40.48 percent of the total population in the country. Significantly, the efforts are in line with the leadership's vision and plan to vaccinate 50 percent of the total population by the end of the first quarter of this year.

Responding to the media's questions, Al Hosani revealed how the vaccine works.

“The body’s immune system recognizes the foreign organism and produces antibodies to fight it. The vaccine prepares the body to fight infection caused by the virus or different bacteria, and the vaccines contain inactive or weak parts of the organism that causes the disease, or the genetic code that creates the same response and stimulates the immune system."

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Talking about China's Sinopharm vaccine, she said that it works using dead viral particles to expose the immune system of the body to the virus without risking a reaction. The vaccine stimulates the human immune system and forms antibodies to resist the COVID-19 virus.

However, the Pfizer-Bionic vaccine works with RNA technology, which means that part of the gene code is injected into the body, prompting it to start producing s-protein on the shell of the virus that triggers an immune response, Al Hosani added.

Meanwhile, both AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines work with a viral vector, which is placed on another virus called adenovirus. It is modified and molecules of the emerging COVID-19 virus are added to it. She added that the virus is considered weak but sufficient to produce antibodies.

While people are discussing the difference in all these vaccines and their manufacturing and storage process, despite these differences, all these vaccines have similar working structures. They produce antibodies to stimulate the body and give the necessary immunity against the virus. Clinical trials of the Sinopharm vaccine have shown that it can reduce the chances of contracting COVID-19 and prevent any complications from the disease. However, it has yet not been determined how long that protection will last. Al Hosani added that this drawback is currently applying to all vaccines developed to fight the COVID-19 virus.

The Health Sector spokesperson underlined that the level of antibodies can reduce over months, but the body's immune system contains special cells called “memory cells” that can help in retaining COVID-19 information for a longer duration. If an infection happens again, these memory cells can remember the pathogen and stimulate the body's immune system to generate necessary antibodies to fight the virus.

Al Hosani also highlighted that researchers have found that these cells have also undergone several cycles of mutations even after recovery from the disease such that they were able to produce effective antibodies to fight the virus. A number of tests have also been conducted in this regard that has indicated that these antibodies are able to identify mutated strains.

The UAE health sector is currently working with relevant health authorities to analyse and determine the required schedule for vaccination administration in accordance with other vaccines such as the flu vaccine in order to protect all members of the community.

"Most of the recorded infections are after the first dose and due to exposure to the virus from the community before the formation of sufficient immunity in the body to prevent the disease, which is expected to be reached at least two weeks after the second dose,” she added.

She further advised all individuals to take the second dose to ensure the highest rate of prevention from the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, she called on the public to continue compliance with the preventive measures even after taking both vaccine doses. The health authorities have advised people who have been infected after taking the first dose with minor or no symptoms to take the second dose only after a full recovery.

However, in case of moderate or severe symptoms or when hospitalisation is required, the authorities have advised people to visit their doctor and perform the necessary immunity test to determine if a second dose is needed. Al Hosani added that vaccines are the best way to combat the pandemic crisis, underlining that the higher the vaccination rate in society, the higher the immunity rate.

As we are reaching towards full recovery from the pandemic crisis, we are getting closer to collective immunity, she added.

The government briefing was also addressed by Mona Khalil, Director of Government Communications Department at the Ministry of Community Development. She noted that the UAE leadership has prioritized the society in all its efforts against the pandemic.

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"The impacts that may arise from the pandemic were taken into account in order to support the community through initiatives and preventive means to ensure safety and stability. This pandemic has impacted many aspects of society, most notably the psychological aspect, which in turn may cause many repercussions if not properly addressed. It is necessary to anticipate preventive methods that support psychological safety,” Khalil said.

In line with the efforts to protect the UAE community, the authorities covered the stem cell treatment costs of COVID-19 patients. In addition, the UAE Red Crescent took care of the needs of families of those people who died due to the virus from all nationalities living in the UAE. At the same time, the 'Mental support line' was launched by the authorities to enable society to tackle the psychological challenges of the crisis using telephone or electronic communication channels, she added.

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Mona Khalil affirmed that the Mental Support Line initiative was launched for front-line workers with the aim of promoting mental health in the community. It was set up by allocating a separate telephone line to provide moral and mental support to the UAE's first line of defence.

Furthermore, the “We Are Your Family” initiative was launched for senior citizens with the aim of achieving family and community cohesion. The “You Are Important” campaign was initiated to promote mental health support among various categories of workers.

The Ministry of Community Development has been continuously providing family counseling remotely through the “Taalouf” initiative. Taalouf workshops are organized on the Ministry’s Instagram account to provide family guidance to all members of the community. The authorities also launched the 7-week national Mental support campaign “Don’t worry” on social media which generated more than 900,000 interactions and participation from the UAE community.

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Further addressing the briefing, Khalil stressed that the UAE has emerged as a living example of tolerance, coexistence, and acceptance, with more than 200 nationalities enjoying a respectful and decent life in the country.

“We emphasise the importance of mental wellness and providing the necessary mental support to all segments of society, especially children and the elderly, and to educate them about positive practices and activities supporting mental wellness,” Khalil added.