The chief of Abu Dhabi’s media hub, Twofour54, is a pioneer. But not just in the media.
Michael Garin is one of the few people – if not the only one – to have taken the first polio vaccine in 1954 and now the Covid-19 inoculation.
Mr Garin got the shot on Thursday in Abu Dhabi and told the medics there he was also a polio pioneer – the name given to those who got the first vaccine in the US in the 1950s.
"I became like a rock star," he said with a laugh. "They looked at me, like, wow. We were just joking that they haven't distributed the vaccine yet in the United States so maybe I'm the only person on the planet who was a polio pioneer and had the Covid vaccine."
But polio is no laughing matter. The disease attacks the nerve cells, causing paralysis and even death. It spreads through person-to-person contact. In the early 1950s, the disease was more a scourge than Covid-19 is today, affecting everyone from children to the US president, Franklin D Roosevelt.
The UAE is closely involved in efforts to eradicate polio in countries such as Pakistan and Mr Garin said the situation was just as bad in 1950s America.
“It was a devastating affliction,” he said. “Children did not go to playgrounds or drink from water fountains. It was something that could kill you and, if not, left you paralysed or living with disabilities. It was really horrific.”
But efforts to develop a vaccine were well under way, harnessing the power of science, the logistics of the state and the spirit of public duty that then defined the time. A vaccine developed by Dr Jonas Salk was shown to be effective and Mr Garin became one of the first batch of pupils to get the jab at his school in Long Island, New York.
“It was a civil era in our history,” Mr Garin said. “People who lost conceded gracefully. We simply considered it our patriotic duty to get vaccinated. Parents signed consent forms and the programme was run through public schools.”
Mr Garin was only eight when he got the jab and, now 74, can still recall exactly how he felt.
“I got a pin and a polio pioneer cord. Even at eight I knew I was doing my duty.”
Today the world is facing another grave moment. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc around the globe, killing more than a million and devastating economies. The emergence of vaccines, such as the Chinese-developed one Mr Garin took and the news of Pfizer's success this week, has brought hope.
But a rising anti-vaccine sentiment imperils the battle against Covid-19. Political rallies in the US have decried wearing of masks. For Mr Garin, the community ethos of his youth has been replaced by one of selfish politicisation.
“Everything has changed. Values have changed. If mask wearing becomes political rather than about public health – then you won’t get people vaccinated. Measles and mumps are crises that ended in my youth. I am now 74 and they are a problem again. If we can’t deal with mumps, what about Covid? Well, we have a cure for Covid – public responsibility.”
Mr Garin believes political leadership is the only way to change this. He points to how Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and other leading UAE figures had taken the vaccine. "Here in the UAE it is 'do what I do'. Other leaders say 'do what I tell you'."
Mr Garin also paid tribute to the workers at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, where he got the vaccine, and encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and take the flu shot.
“I feel great,” he said. “I was really blown away by the professionalism there. I would recommend everyone who can receive it, then take it. Also get the flu shot. One year I missed it and got the flu.”
