Covid-19 vaccine in UAE: What you need to know before getting the jab

Residents who have already volunteered for the 4Humanity Phase 3 clinical trials cannot be part of this vaccination drive.

Private hospitals in Abu Dhabi have made robust preparations to start giving the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to residents from Saturday. However, not everyone is eligible to take the jab, according to hospital sources.

Residents who have already volunteered for the 4Humanity Phase 3 clinical trials cannot be part of this vaccination drive.

Medical professionals will check the Al Hosn app of a resident to confirm that he/she has not been on the volunteer journey of the trials held earlier in Abu Dhabi.

Pregnant women are also excluded. Additionally, a urine test will be conducted to check for pregnancy. If found positive, those women will have to return without getting the vaccine.

People with a history of convulsion, epilepsy, encephalopathy or mental illness, and coagulation dysfunction should not take the vaccine, too. The same goes for a person with a recent history of disorders, like Guillain Barre syndrome or transverse myelitis.

Those with history of severe allergic reactions to vaccination are excluded, as well as people who had within one month taken a ‘live attenuated vaccine’ — taken as protection against measles, yellow fever, etc. Those who had taken other vaccines within 14 days will not be allowed to receive the Covid jab.

Then, who can take the vaccine?

A resident who is 18 years old or older — and does not fall in any of the categories above — is welcome to take the first dose. They must carry their Emirates IDs and should have downloaded Al Hosn app on their smartphones.

A resident must also have stable blood pressure and heart rate at the time of inoculation.

PRIMARY HEALTH REQUIREMENTS TO GET THE COVID VACCINE

>Must be 18 years old or older

>Must have stable blood pressure, heart rate

>Must not have taken other vaccines

>Women must not be pregnant

>Medical history will be checked thoroughly

Up to 5,000 residents can be vaccinated daily at VPS facilities

VPS Healthcare will be launching the vaccination programme from 18 hospitals and clinics in Abu Dhabi, Mussafah, Al Ain and Al Dhafra from Saturday, while NMC Healthcare will operate from 11 hospitals and medical centres in the city and suburbs from Sunday.

Dr Nabil Debouni, medical director of VPS Healthcare Group, said as many as 5,000 residents can be vaccinated daily at the group’s facilities, with plans to enhance the capacity.

“We have and continue to develop a robust infrastructure that will deliver 5,000 vaccinations per day and we will continue to invest and develop that capacity,” Dr Debouni said.

Dr Debouni noted that the group has made preparations to ensure a smooth and comfortable experience for the residents. All facilities will have a dedicated space set up for the vaccination.

Burjeel, Medeor, Lifecare and LLH hospitals in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Musaffah will have a special vaccination area outside their hospitals.

At other hospitals and medical centres, the designated area will be set up inside the facility. The group has already started orientations and training for its dedicated team of 100 members.

Booking an appointment

To book an appointment for any of the VPS Healthcare facilities, residents can call helpline number (8005546) or WhatsApp on 0565380055 or log onto www.covidvaccineuae.com or www.vpshealth.com.

A resident needs to furnish a name, gender, age, nationality, employer’s name, email, contact number, Emirates ID or passport and preferred location. The vaccination process will take 15 minutes per resident. Additionally, the person will be kept under observation for half-an-hour after the jab is administered.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi