More than 40 per cent of UAE population receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine

Nearly 48.6 per cent of the elderly have received the vaccine, UAE health officials say

A man is vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

A man is vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

People queue to get vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

People register to get vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

People register to get vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

People register to get vaccinated at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Bareen International Hospital

More than 40 per cent of the UAE’s population has received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, health authorities said on Tuesday.

The Emirates has a target of inoculating 50 per cent of its people by the end of the first quarter.

Health authorities also said that nearly 48.6 per cent of the elderly have received the vaccine.

As of February 16, more than 5.19 million doses have been administered and the rate of doses per 100 people is 52.56, Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the health sector, said at the weekly Covid-19 briefing.

People who become infected with coronavirus after taking their first vaccine should still take the second dose after their recovery, she said.

Dr Al Hosani said the second injection was advised for those who had mild symptoms or remained asymptomatic.

Patients who get sick with severe illness and need hospital treatment should consult a doctor before taking their second dose.

“They should visit a doctor after making a full recovery and get an antibody test done and proceed ahead with the vaccine on a doctor’s recommendation,” she said.

Dr Al Hosani said Sinopharm, Pfizer-BionTech, AstraZeneca and Sputnik vaccines work differently, but all trigger the body’s immune system to fight the virus.

Most have also been found to be effective against the variant strains of coronavirus, but nobody knows for how long the immunity will last, Dr Al Hosani said.

“Antibodies will become less over time but the immune system has memory cells and these cells will remember the components of the vaccine if they contract the virus after a long time,” she said.

The Sinopharm vaccine works using dead viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a reaction. It stimulates the immune system and forms antibodies.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works with RNA technology. This means that part of the gene code is injected into the body, prompting it to start producing s-protein on the shell of the virus that triggers immune response.

Both AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines are based on a viral vector. It is placed on another virus called adenovirus, which is modified and molecules of the emerging coronavirus are added to it. The virus is considered weak but sufficient to produce antibodies.

The country has also carried out more than 28 million tests to detect infections.

UAE medics battling the coronavirus - in pictures

People get tested for coronavirus at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities have called upon citizens and residents to join with the efforts of health care professionals. Health workers, such as these Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, have led the way. Reem Mohammed / The National

Healthcare workers at the emergency ward in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has paid tribute to the frontline workers who helped to curb Covid-19. Reem Mohammed / The National

Healthcare workers at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City receive a patient outside the emergency department. Reem Mohammed / The National

A consultant physician at the emergency department in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, receives a Covid-19 patient. Reem Mohammed / The National

People get the laser blood test tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A nurse sanitises her hands after conducting a swab test at one of the UAE's screening drive-through centres in Mina Rashid, Dubai. Victor Besa / The National

A health worker taking the Covid-19 nasal swab test at a testing station in thet Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Nurse Renu Venugopal, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Ruth Deva Kiruba says being pregnant during a pandemic was surreal and sometimes lonely. Chris Whiteoak / The National

EMT nurse Jephy Antony, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at the NMC Royal Hospital, DIP, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A visitor gets tested at the Ras Al Khaimah Covid-19 drive-through testing centre. Reem Mohammed / The National

Nurse Nikhil Rajendran inside the fever clinic at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Shane Simeon Galang from Philippines, Mervat Aslan Mhgoub Mohamed from Egypt and Sowmya Kotian from India, who are nurses at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National