Vaccination Could Become Annual Affair, Says Official

UAE reports record 3,939 COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths; PCR test mandatory for UAE, GCC citizens and visitors arriving in Dubai; new quarantine rules for federal government employees; India set to resume international air travel from Feb.1

UAE residents may need to get COVID-19 vaccine every year, said Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector.

Al Hosani made the remarks on Monday during a virtual panel discussion organised by the Maitha Bint Ahmed Al Nahyan Foundation for Community and Cultural Initiatives (MBAF), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC).

New COVID-19 variants have emerged recently, Al Hosani said, adding that the more mutant the virus, the more is the possible need to vaccinate annually against it.

She gave an example of the mutant flu vaccine which is given to communities every year.

Al Hosani revealed that some vaccines are given to people as young as 16 years and referred to ongoing clinical studies on three vaccines that could be administered to children in the future.

She revealed that between 40-50 percent of the people infected with COVID-19 do not feel any symptoms.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 174,016 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.