UAE: 31,157 Covid vaccine doses administered in 24 hours

The UAE has administered 31,157 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours.

The country's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the total doses administered now stand at 22.2 million.

This takes the rate of doses to 225.13 doses per 100 people.

Authorities in the UAE have urged residents to get a booster shot of a Covid-19 vaccine if they are eligible.

Boosters and vaccination have helped bring down the number of Covid-19 cases from nearly 4000 to less than 50 in the UAE.

Doctors believe that the UAE government's thorough vaccination campaign was the reason for the dip in the number of new cases. Medicos explain how vaccination and boosters help against the Covid-19 variants.

Dr Mohamed Aslam, Specialist Pulmonologist, International Modern Hospital, Dubai, said, "When you go for the first dose of vaccination, you get protection from Coronavirus within a week as compared to an unvaccinated individual. Two doses offer more protection, and similarly, the booster gives you high protection from the virus."

Meanwhile, Denmark on Thursday approved Merck & Co Inc's molnupiravir antiviral pill for Covid-19 patients at risk of serious illness, including the elderly.

The treatment is still under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Faced with rising coronavirus cases, the EU drug regulator issued advice in November on using it for adults ahead of providing any wider recommendation.

Announcing its approval for restricted use in Denmark, Health Authority chief medical officer Kirstine Moll Harboe said: "We believe that the benefits of being treated (with it) outweigh the disadvantages for those patients who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19."

Britain last month became the first country to approve the treatment, jointly developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and for which Merck says it has signed deals totalling more than 7 million courses.

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi