The UAE's successful Covid-19 vaccination efforts have been the result of the the foresight of the country’s leadership and the "tremendous" contribution of staff working on the inoculation campaign, a UAE minister said on Saturday.
The country has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world.
Authorities on Friday said 143,680 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were given on a single day, with the total number of doses crossing 7.12 million. This represents 72.03 doses per 100 people.
The UAE last week said it had vaccinated half the country's population – two weeks before its target date.
Daily case numbers have also fallen significantly since late January.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and chairman of the National Covid-19 Crisis Recovery Management and Governance Committee, said the vaccination campaign teams, which include Emiratis and residents, "are a source of pride for all of us. They are our first line of defence and real contributors to the efforts made at the country level to confront the pandemic".
"Their sincere, unwavering determination to excel at their work and to accomplish their mission in the best possible manner has significantly contributed to UAE now leading the world in per capita Covid-19 vaccinations," Dr Al Jaber said, according to Wam.
The UAE's leadership has set "an exemplary example in addressing" the crisis, he said
"Under the directives of our wise leadership, the UAE has perpetuated a proactive crisis-management methodology and has been among the first countries of the world offering free Covid-19 vaccinations to all its population.”
"Coronavirus countermeasures have been put in place, coupled with an efficient recovery management strategy rolled out across all sectors," Dr Al Jaber said.
He called on the community to continue to support national efforts to tackle the pandemic and urged people to comply with precautionary measures to ensure a full recovery from the crisis.
