Al Hosani: Vaccination continuing; we're progressing on recovery

The UAE has established a proactive approach to addressing crises and was among the first countries in the world to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to its entire population free of charge, she added while pointing out that it has implemented an advanced series of preventive procedures to address the pandemic’s repercussions and adopted an effective planning strategy for the recovery period across all sectors.

During the regular media briefing held on Tuesday by the UAE Government to present the developments to the pandemic, Dr. Al Hosani stressed that the UAE is continuing to perform many coronavirus tests to proactively detect infections and curb the spread of the pandemic, noting that over 35.5 million tests have currently been conducted.

She also revealed that the "Al Hosn" application, the national digital app that offers information about COVID-19, was recently updated and provides all necessary information related to the vaccines offered by vaccination centres around the country.

The app is a proactive initiative launched by the UAE, she further added, affirming that relevant data on the app can be used as an official certificate proving that individuals have received the vaccine, which then can save and print.

Dr. Al Hosani further said that national health authorities are monitoring the progress of vaccination programmes around the country carried out in different centres, stressing that the country recently enlarged the scope of vaccinations to include all segments of the community who are individuals over the age of 16.

The weekly updates of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the pandemic highlight a surge in new infections, with many countries confirming the emergence of new mutated variants of the virus, she explained.

National health authorities are up to date with coronavirus related developments, she noted, stating that related monitoring revealed the emergence of new variants in some countries, which may be connected to the surge in infections.

Since the international announcement about the new variants, the UAE has kept pace with related developments and formed a national team to track these variants, in cooperation with all health authorities, she further explained, adding that the team is regularly monitoring the health situation while the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), in cooperation with its partners and relevant health authorities and in coordination with higher education institutions and public health entities, is studying these viral mutations.

''SARS COVID-2'' variants have been regularly monitoring by labs specialising in genetic analysis, to accurately monitor their epidemiological status and the extent of their spread in society, Dr. Al Hosani further said, affirming that the safe resumption of activities in all sectors amidst the health crisis must happen according to an accurate strategy, and the country is constantly monitoring several indexes covering various sectors before making the correct decisions.

These efforts and decisions will ensure the country’s balanced strategic approach to ensuring the continuity of business of all sectors, as well as support the health sector and maintain community safety, she further stated, noting that the pandemic has affected all sectors, which required the establishment of the National COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Management and Governance Committee to ensure an overall strategic balance between all sectors and the timely return to normalcy.

Dr. Al Hosani pointed out that the continuous monitoring of vaccination campaigns revealed that approved vaccines are effective in preventing the severe symptoms of the disease and reducing rates of hospitalisation and deaths.

She then urged all members of the community to adhere to relevant preventive measures during the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, stressing that public health is a priority and social responsibility.