UAE schools have already started vaccination drives for pupils between 12 and 15. Victor Besa / The National
UAE schools have already started vaccination drives for pupils between 12 and 15. Victor Besa / The National
UAE schools have already started vaccination drives for pupils between 12 and 15. Victor Besa / The National
UAE schools have already started vaccination drives for pupils between 12 and 15. Victor Besa / The National

Coronavirus: Gems says UAE pupils aged 12 and over have access to vaccine


  • English
  • Arabic

One of the UAE's leading school operators announced on Wednesday that Covid-19 vaccines are available for pupils aged between 12 and 15.

Gems Education said appointments to get inoculated can be made through the schools.

The announcement was made on the education company's social media channels.

"We're proud to announce that our students aged 12+ now have access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine," Gems said.

"We choose to vaccinate for the health and safety of our students, their families, our staff and for the country."

The National reported during the week that schools in the UAE were planning for the imminent launch of a vaccination campaign aimed at pupils aged between 12 and 15.

It follows last week's approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children in that age group in the UAE on an emergency basis.

Headteachers believe the move will reassure parents who are concerned about sending their children to school.

UAE authorities on Tuesday urged parents to ensure eligible children are vaccinated against Covid-19.

In the weekly coronavirus briefing, Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the state health sector, said the decision to approve the vaccine for children aged between 12 and 15 was important.

"Expanding coverage allows us to provide vaccines to the biggest proportion of the population in order to reach herd immunity. It is important as children go back to schools," said Dr Al Hosani.

“To parents, rest assured this vaccine will help us all feel safe and protect the health of children.

“It will reduce burden on parents who have children learning online.”

Hundreds of pupils aged 16 and up receive Covid-19 vaccine – in pictures

  • Siddharth Gusani, Trrishman Basoor, Adithya Suresh and Abdul Mohsin, (at back), who are pupils at Gems Millenium School Sharjah and received their first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. All photos Gems Millenium School Sharjah
    Siddharth Gusani, Trrishman Basoor, Adithya Suresh and Abdul Mohsin, (at back), who are pupils at Gems Millenium School Sharjah and received their first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. All photos Gems Millenium School Sharjah
  • Shilpa Shyam, a pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah, received her first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine.
    Shilpa Shyam, a pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah, received her first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine.
  • Ann Joe Tharakan, another pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah, who got the shot.
    Ann Joe Tharakan, another pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah, who got the shot.
  • Ahmik Pawanarkar, Anulome Kishore and Abhimanyu Das (at front) are pupils at Gems Millenium School Sharjah who took the vaccine.
    Ahmik Pawanarkar, Anulome Kishore and Abhimanyu Das (at front) are pupils at Gems Millenium School Sharjah who took the vaccine.
  • Trrishman Singh, a grade 12 pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah also got his vaccine.
    Trrishman Singh, a grade 12 pupil at Gems Millenium School Sharjah also got his vaccine.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

How Filipinos in the UAE invest

A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.

Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).

Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.

Rankings

ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts; 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320; 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475 ( 1); 5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060 ( 1); 6. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845 ( 1); 6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600 (-3); 7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110 ( 2); 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3,960; 9. John Isner (USA) 3,155 ( 1); 10. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3,140 (-3)

WTA: 1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts ( 3); 2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 ( 4); 3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2); 4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 ( 1); 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 ( 3); 6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4); 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,940; 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 ( 1); 9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6); 10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 ( 1)

Apple's%20Lockdown%20Mode%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3EAt%20launch%2C%20Lockdown%20Mode%20will%20include%20the%20following%20protections%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMessages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Most%20attachment%20types%20other%20than%20images%20are%20blocked.%20Some%20features%2C%20like%20link%20previews%2C%20are%20disabled%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWeb%20browsing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Certain%20complex%20web%20technologies%2C%20like%20just-in-time%20JavaScript%20compilation%2C%20are%20disabled%20unless%20the%20user%20excludes%20a%20trusted%20site%20from%20Lockdown%20Mode%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20services%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIncoming%20invitations%20and%20service%20requests%2C%20including%20FaceTime%20calls%2C%20are%20blocked%20if%20the%20user%20has%20not%20previously%20sent%20the%20initiator%20a%20call%20or%20request%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wired%20connections%20with%20a%20computer%20or%20accessory%20are%20blocked%20when%20an%20iPhone%20is%20locked%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConfigurations%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Configuration%20profiles%20cannot%20be%20installed%2C%20and%20the%20device%20cannot%20enroll%20into%20mobile%20device%20management%20while%20Lockdown%20Mode%20is%20on%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.