In a major development, the UAE has ranked first worldwide in terms of the number of indexes related to its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. From controlling the spread of the virus and overcoming the social, health and economic repercussions of the crisis to the recovery period, the UAE has ensured all forms of efforts in its response to the pandemic.

The Emirates News Agency (WAM) has reviewed six achievements of the UAE's response to the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak, which helped the country achieve its leading position both in the Middle East and across the world.

Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine: The UAE launched its nationwide vaccination campaign in December 2020. With its extensive inoculation efforts, the UAE has achieved the first position globally in the distribution of daily vaccine doses from January 12 to 18, 2021. With a rate of 1.16 doses for every 100 persons, the country also ranked fifth globally in terms of the vaccine’s availability.

Number of COVID-19 tests: The UAE emerged as the first country in the world to conduct a higher number of Coronavirus tests than its actual population. On October 6, 2020, UAE authorities conducted 10 million Coronavirus tests since the pandemic outbreak began in the country.

Detection of infected cases: In July 2020, the UAE launched a successful initiative to use dogs to detect infected people in its airports to limit the spread of the virus. As the initiative achieved success, the UAE became the first country globally to implement this approach.

Handling of the pandemic: According to the Global Soft Power Index published by Brand Finance, the UAE bagged the top position in the Middle East in the list of best countries that effectively handled the Coronavirus crisis. Brand Finance's Global Soft Power Index is the world's most comprehensive research study on perceptions of nation brands.

Public satisfaction: According to a June 2020 survey published by Toluna Consumer Insights, the UAE also clinched the leading position in the Middle East and third worldwide in terms of public satisfaction for the preventive measures implemented by the governments in response to COVID-19.

Drive-through tests: The UAE was the first nation in the Middle East and fifth globally to conduct drive-through COVID-19 tests with the help of its medical centers spread across all emirates. Reportedly, the test takes less than five minutes to complete.

In addition, the UAE has implemented several effective measures since the outbreak of COVID-19 to overcome the pandemic crisis. It harnessed all relevant tools and resources to control the spread of the virus. For instance, the authorities launched the National Sterilisation Programme, implemented significant precautionary measures, initiated remote learning and teleworking systems to limit the virus spread. It also employed several innovative medical treatments, including the use of stem cells, for the betterment of Coronavirus-infected patients. In addition to these initiatives, the UAE also established the largest Coronavirus lab outside China.

WAM