KT edit: Secure and healthy in the UAE

The falling case numbers are proof of the UAE’s ability to switch gears based on the needs of the situation.

The UAE is right in being cautious about new variants like Delta and Delta Plus even as the vaccine arsenal at its disposal is the best in the world. Five vaccines — from the inactivated kind like Sinopharm, the viral vector variety like AstraZeneca and Sputnik V, and path-breaking mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna, have given the country the edge in the fight against the coronavirus. The country’s progressive health strategy that was flexible, yet careful during the global health crisis that had shut down economies and locked down many parts of the world, has yielded results.

The falling case numbers are proof of the UAE’s ability to switch gears based on the needs of the situation.

Vaccine inequality, meanwhile, is rising with the economic situation in the developing world dire as reopenings have been held back and jabs have not reached a majority of the population. In parts of Africa and Asia, reports of fake vaccines being jabbed into arms as the pandemic still rages shows the light at the end of the tunnel is still far away. While the UAE is relatively secure from new variants, it cannot afford to be complacent, at least not until 80 per cent of the global population are vaccinated or gain immunity from Covid-19 through infection.

Therefore, the country has done well by creating a secure bio-bubble for its population, which would mean restricting travel from other countries where infections are still high and where the Delta variant is becoming more dominant. Flights have been curbed and people have been unable to reach the UAE for months. These restrictions are for a larger cause and must understood in light of the ever-changing pandemic scenario.

The bio-bubble that the UAE has created is born out of necessity during these crisis-ridden times as the world lurches from one pandemic wave to another, which brings us to the question: what next and for how long will this situation continue? That would largely depend on the virus and how it moves and mutates. On the domestic front, the UAE is comfortably placed and its residents are safe from the virus.

There is not much space for the pathogen to move around and mutate in the UAE as it is the most vaccinated country in the world, surpassing the Seychelles which it has supplied with the Sinopharm vaccine. While it is comforting to be in a safe country, it’s also important for residents to remain cautious and not import new cases and variants. Complacency is not an option in the bio-bubble. Life, meanwhile, is almost back to the new normal in the UAE. For those who are keen on returning to the country and are awaiting the green signal from airlines, a little patience can go a long way in keeping all of us safe.