Coronavirus: 70 per cent of Dubai teachers vaccinated with first dose

Teachers and staff at schools in Dubai eligible for a vaccine but have not had their first dose face weekly PCR tests

Covid-19 safety measures remain in place at schools in the UAE. Victor Besa / The National

Testing and vaccination rules are in place for staff and pupils. Shruti Jain for The National

Some schools will continue to allow pupils to learn from home. Pawan Singh / The National

Pupils across the UAE will return to school on August 29. Victor Besa / The National

Desks are spaced apart in a classroom at the American Academy for Girls in Al Mizhar, Dubai. Shruti Jain for The National

More than two-thirds of teachers in Dubai's schools are either fully vaccinated or have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Quoting figures from its survey of Dubai schools taken on April 12, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority said 70 per cent of teachers have had at least one dose of a vaccine.

“Dubai's teaching staff are doing their bit to keep our community safe. So far, 70 per cent have received the Covid-19 vaccine,” KHDA wrote on Twitter.

The emirate's education regulator announced earlier this month that teachers and staff at schools in Dubai who are eligible for a vaccine but have not had a first injection must take weekly PCR tests.

The ruling covers teachers, support and outsourced staff and casual or part-time staff at all private education institutes in Dubai, including early learning centres, schools, universities and training institutes.

It also includes those who are working remotely or from the education institute's premises.

Staff not eligible for the vaccine or who have had their first dose will be exempt from testing.

Many schools continue to run a mixture of online and classroom learning.

Isolated outbreaks in recent months led several to close and reopen, in consultation with the authorities.

Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister for Education, said schools in the UAE may continue with a form of blended learning in the next academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In January, Abu Dhabi authorities announced they had vaccinated 60 per cent of their private education staff as part of the campaign to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

On Tuesday, authorities announced the UAE had surpassed half a million Covid-19 infections since the start of the outbreak.

A further 1,903 cases were reported, bringing the tally to 500,860.

However, new cases remained below 2,000 for the seventh day running.

Another 1,854 people beat the virus as the recovery total climbed to 483,180.

Three more died from complications arising from Covid-19 to bring the total death toll to 1,559.

The number of active cases stands at 16,121.

An additional 192,238 tests were conducted.

Mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination programmes have been integral to the UAE's curbing of the pandemic.