Amid the ongoing fight against COVID-19, the UAE authorities are likely to continue compliance with face-masking and social distancing with the aim of curbing the spread of the virus in the country. Speaking with the media, Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, undersecretary at the Abu Dhabi health regulator, the Department of Health (DoH), noted that COVID-19 safety precautions have proven effective in limiting the spread of Coronavirus in the UAE.

He further called on the community to ‘normalise’ living amidst the preventive measures as normalcy returns to key sectors.

“No matter what you hear is happening around the world, the UAE is basing its strategies on science. Is the removal of the masking mandate supported by science? When in late 2020 we saw a decline in COVID-19 cases, we did not stop building field hospitals, or ramping up ICU capacity. We also did not remove the masking mandate or social distancing regulations. We retained the basics then till we could be 100 per cent sure that there were no cases,” Dr Al Kaabi said.

Dr Al Kaabi recently participated at a seminar focusing on the UAE's fight against COVID-19 at the Abu Dhabi University. Organised under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, the seminar saw top health experts discussing multi-prolonged strategy implemented by the UAE to successfully contain COVID-19 cases.

Speaking on the sidelines of the seminar, the Abu Dhabi-DoH official underlined that the UAE is recording decreasing number of infections and the lowest rates of mortality in recent weeks. This success is due to the effective COVID-19 management strategy implemented by the UAE's wise leadership.

"The UAE’s strategy was proactive from the start. We did not wait the virus to come to us. We went to it [to combat it],” the official said.

Successful strategy

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE launched a mass screening programme that continues to curb the spread of the virus in various regions. Furthermore, the health sector ensured widespread availability of COVID-19 testing services across the country that facilitated the UAE to rank third globally in terms of the number of COVID-19 PCR tests conducted for every 1,000 persons.

From 1,000 PCR tests a day during the initial months, the UAE is now conducting more than 300,000 tests on a daily. While it took at least five days to get COVID-19 test results during the start of the programme, today the results are available in less than 24 hours. These efforts have been supported by COVID-19 preventive measures such as mandatory wearing of face mask and social distancing in public places.

The UAE organised the largest clinical trial for the Sinopharm inactivated vaccine against COVID-19. In addition, the UAE played a significant role in the Sputnik V vaccine clinical trial. Today, the UAE is conducting multiple studies to understand the immunity-building effects of the vaccine on children.

"The country’s strategic stockpile have also been instrumental in ensuring that residents did not suffer from food and medicine shortages," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chief medical officer at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City who also led the UAE’s Sinopharm trials.

National Vaccination drive: The UAE became one of the first nations globally to implement a countrywide vaccination drive and providing various COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to residents. Currently, the UAE has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with more than 80 per cent of its population fully vaccinated against the disease. Furthermore, eligible residents are also being administered booster shots on completing their vaccination six months ago.

Latest treatment methods: Along with vaccine trials, UAE health officials are continuously reviewing and introducing modern treatments against COVID-19, including plasmapheresis, stem cell therapies and monoclonal antibody treatment named Sotrovimab. It has significantly reduced cases of hospitalisation and mortality among COVID-19 patients. Such efforts and advancements have helped the UAE's healthcare system in maintaining low COVID-19 mortality rates in the country.

Regular updates: Federal and local authorities across the UAE have been providing regular updates of reliable data and information through press briefings and social media channels to amplify awareness among the public. Dr Al Kaabi also called on residents to rely on official channels for relevant information and verify any update they hear from friends or family before following it.

"Take the example of people who are afraid to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Where are they getting this information from when all the scientific data shows that vaccines minimise the symptoms of COVID-19 infection?” he added.

Quarantine programmes: The UAE also implemented necessary quarantine programmes and home quarantine regulations for people arriving in the country from abroad.

"We now have monitoring capability that enable us to take proactive action before symptoms develop,” Dr Al Kaabi added.

Special focus on high-risk individuals The UAE introduced special programmes to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to the elderly and other target groups in the comfort of their homes. Authorities ramped up home delivery networks to provide necessary treatment and medications to people at high-risk. At the same time, telehealth systems ensured all possible steps to to treat patients remotely.

"The difficult times that the world and the UAE have witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic taught us many valuable lessons and pushed us to seize opportunities. Given where we have reached, everyone is now waiting for Expo 2020 to begin, and today feels like a celebration of our achievements thus far,” Dr Al Kaabi said.

In conclusion, Dr Ali Saeed Al Dhaheri, chairman of the University’s board of directors, expressed gratitude towards the UAE leadership for its proactive strategy to curb the spread of the virus.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, urged the people of the UAE not to worry, and these words will always resonate with nations due to their powerful effect. His statement managed to reduce public panic and provide hope at times where desperation seemed to fill the air,” Al Dhaheri said.