UAE: Covid vaccine drive picks up ahead of onsite classes

The UAE has intensified the Covid-19 vaccination campaign ahead of re-opening of onsite classes of schools on January 17. The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, on Sunday said they have set up three dedicated vaccination centres in Fujairah and Ajman for teachers and school administrative staff to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

The centres will administer the jabs to all teachers, employees of private and government educational institutions and students aged over 18 years.

The vaccines are available for free at the centres for two weeks starting today.

The two centres in Fujairah are: Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Sharqi Secondary School and Dibba Fujairah and Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi Secondary School, Fujairah and will be open from 9am to 3pm.

The United Arab Emirates University, in cooperation with the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi, had also announced organising a free Covid-19 vaccine campaign from January 11 to January 13, 2021.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had last week urged the education community to get the Covid-19 vaccines.

Sheikh Abdullah, who is also Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council, urged employees in government and private educational facilities, including teachers and administrators, to get the jab.

Meanwhile, churches have joined the UAE’s National Vaccination Programme. Over the weekend, St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi facilitated the vaccination of 7,000 people. More churches will be offering the jabs to members of the community in the coming weeks.

Recently, the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre launched the ‘Choose to Vaccinate’ campaign to encourage residents of the emirate to opt for the vaccine.

A total of 107 Covid-19 vaccination centres have been set up across Abu Dhabi to provide the vaccine free of charge to residents.

Two types of vaccines are available in the UAE: Sinopharm and BioNTech-Pfizer.

The country aims to vaccinate 50 per cent of its population in the first quarter. Over 1.167 million people have already been vaccinated.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

Ismail Sebugwaawo

A professional journalist originating from Kampala, Uganda, Ismail is a happy father with strong attachment to family and great values for humanity. He has practiced journalism in UAE for the past 13 years, covering the country's parliament (FNC) and crimes, including Abu Dhabi Police, public prosecution and courts. He also reports about important issues in education, public health and the environment, with a keen interest in human interest stories. When out of reporting duties, he serves the Ugandan community in Abu Dhabi as he wants to see his countrymen happy. Exercising and reading are part of his free time.