UAE doctors have called on residents to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as receive their booster shots before planning travel to foreign countries.

Speaking with the media, Dr Anitha Varghese, general practitioner, Aster Clinic, underlined that COVID-19 vaccines work better with booster doses enhancing the immune system's fight against the virus. The doctor noted that people can avoid severe complications due to COVID-19 by receiving booster vaccine shots in addition to their two doses of vaccination. She highlighted that it can help in preventing the spread of COVID-19 among travellers amid the emergence of new variants of the disease.

Dr Rasha Alani, specialist family medicine, Medcare Medical Centre, pointed out that a booster dose is significantly important for people with immunocompromised conditions or chronic diseases.

According to recent research, vaccines along with booster doses enhance immune protection against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death.

“What we also see is that we’re in an inequitable place right now, with a very low percentage of people in low and low-middle income countries, having taken booster shots, and the percentage of those with one and two doses are also relatively low in these countries," said Dr Alani.

In this regard, Dr Varghese stressed the need for getting the vaccine booster shot on the basis of age and medical conditions.

“Vaccines are serving the purpose by decreasing the number of positive cases, and even in positive cases, the severity and complications are lessened,” she underlined.

With international travel resuming to its full capacity, the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) has also urged residents to check the list of approved vaccines in their travel destination before planning the journey. The authority called on the public to follow necessary precautionary and safety protocols during travel to prevent infection.

The UAE has been continuously working to strengthen the fight against COVID-19 by accelerating the impact of its testing and vaccination campaign. UAE's proactive strategy against COVID-19 has shown positive results as in recent weeks the country has recorded less than 100 daily infections.

Furthermore, doctors have urged all eligible residents to safeguard their and the public's health and wellbeing by getting boosters before planning travel to foreign locations.

The UAE is also welcoming travellers from different parts of the world. Doctors have advised incoming tourists to have a safe trip in the country by following relevant protocols issued by the healthcare authorities. Tourists are also welcome to use a wide range of telehealth services in the UAE.