Covid-19 vaccine: UAE, Israel top 2 countries in giving coronavirus jabs

The concerted efforts from the UAE government and health authorities, and active participation of the general public, have led to the initial success of the country’s National Vaccination Programme.

The UAE is second after Israel when it comes to vaccine administration rates to its residents, according to ‘Our World in Data’ website that tracks vaccination rates run by researchers at the University of Oxford.

The data shows that as on January 4, Israel has given 15.83 vaccination doses per 100 people. The UAE has offered 8.35 doses per 100 people, followed by Bahrain at 3.75; the US 1.46; the UK 1.39 (December 27); Denmark 0.89; Russia 0.55 (January 2); Canada and Germany 0.38; Croatia 0.34; China 0.31 (December 31); Italy and Spain 0.3; and Estonia 0.24.

Both the UAE and Israel have been highly successful in rolling out their vaccination drives. Both have a similar population. As per the World Bank data of 2019, the UAE has a population of 9.77 million and Israel, 9.05 million.

On Tuesday, the UAE health sector’s official spokesperson Dr Farida Al Hosani revealed that 826,301 vaccines have been administered. So far, 8 per cent of the population has been covered since the launch of the campaign in December.

On Monday, Israel Health Minister Yuli Edelstein had said that 1.2 million Israelis had received the first dose of the shot.

While Israel and most European countries are administering the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, the UAE is giving two jabs: Sinopharm and BioNTech-Pfizer.

A massive campaign is underway across the seven emirates, with vaccines available at public and private hospitals, health centres and even a community association in Ajman.

And people have already taken the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. Most importantly, no major side effects have been reported till date.

Herd immunity

Plans are afoot to vaccinate 50 per cent of the population by the end of March, which will keep the momentum for the UAE’s move towards herd immunity.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi and Dubai have used their logistic capabilities to become a hub for global vaccine distribution.

In December, Hope Consortium flew 2 million vaccine doses into the Capital for storage and distribution of the Sinopharm vaccine. Abu Dhabi Ports is empowering the campaign with a 19,000-square metre temperature-controlled warehouse facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone.

On Monday, the Dubai Airports and GMR Hyderabad announced creation of a Covid-19 vaccine distribution corridor with capacity to handle up to 300 tonnes of vaccines per day. The corridor connects major vaccine manufacturers in India with markets around the world via Dubai’s cargo hub.

• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai