New data indicates that 80% of UAE population is now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. On Thursday, the officials said 91.32 per cent of the population in UAE has received one dose, while 80.29 per cent is now fully vaccinated.

It is to be noted that the figure of 80 per cent is broadly regarded as a milestone in direction of achieving herd immunity.

The Emirates has been an exemplary example of one of the fastest vaccination drives administering 19,247,164 vaccines. First, second and booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines are now available.

Herd immunity is regarded as the stage at which enough people have been vaccinated, or have contracted the disease, enabling significant slowing down the spread in community. Regardless, health authorities are stressing every person must get fully vaccinated to protect themselves as well as the people around them.

Children over 12 years can take the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for children between the ages of 3 and 17 after a successful trial encompassing 900 children in Abu Dhabi.

To expand the reach of Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Abu Dhabi authorities are running the vaccination campaign at government offices to make it feasible for employees to get vaccinated. The Department of Government Support, in co-operation with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, has organised the vaccinbation campaign for all government employees and their families.

In August, two dedicated walk-in vaccination centres for students and teachers were also set up. New teachers, students and school employees could receive the vaccine, even if they did not yet have their Emirates IDs.

In early August, authorities also recommended people in the UAE to receive a booster shot if they had received their second dose of Sinopharm or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine over six months ago. People in high risk groups were advised to get the booster dose of vaccine after only three months. People considered at high risk, included those over 60 years, the disabled and those with chronic diseases. They can walk into any health centres included in the list. All other people must book a prior appointment.

On Thursday, UAE reported 564 new cases. Active cases in the country has dropped to 6,515 as recoveries continued to exceed infections.