Three in four UAE residents believe vaccines will bring normality back this year

More than 80 per cent of inoculated people had Chinese-made Sinopharm doses

Powered by automated translation

Three quarters of people in the UAE believe vaccines will bring normality back within a year, a survey showed.

Keeping family safe, little evidence of major side effects and the safety of the vaccine doses were among the reasons people chose to get inoculated.

It also revealed how the public has confidence in the government's vaccination drive.

The findings were part of a survey by YouGov and commissioned by the UAE's G42 Healthcare, which helped to conduct clinical vaccine trials and supported the distribution of the Sinopharm shot, to assess attitudes to the UAE vaccination campaign.

This independent public survey demonstrates the collective will of the UAE public to get vaccinated

About 37 per cent of respondents were motivated to take the vaccine as a national duty, while 33 per cent said they would vaccinate as a social duty, contributing as global citizens.

“This independent public survey demonstrates the collective will of the UAE public to get vaccinated, and why it is so important to undertake the clinical trials and scientific studies here in the UAE in association with UAE health authorities," said G42 Healthcare chief executive Ashish Koshy.

“The results show that we have an informed public that is making choices based on science, their personal considerations, and their contribution to their communities and society. We are truly encouraged and will continue our collaborative efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The UAE has administered more than five million doses since the inoculation campaign began, putting the country among the world leaders in the race to vaccinate its residents.

Safety is the top factor when opting for a vaccine, the survey found, with 52 per cent saying safety and efficacy were the key motivators to take the vaccination.

This was followed by lack of any major side effects, a close second with 50 per cent.

Responsibility to keep family safe and protection against new variants of the virus were tied at 47 per cent, while 46 per cent of respondents said free availability of the vaccine at several locations was among the top five reasons why they would choose to get vaccinated.

More than 80 per cent of the respondents had the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine, the survey found – reinforcing the ongoing successful implementation of the national vaccination programme in the UAE at a rate of more than 51.11 doses per 100 people.

Vaccines from Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech are licensed for widespread use in the UAE, while Russia's Sputnik V is authorised for emergency use.

The survey questioned 1,011 respondents from the UAE, representing the nation's demographic composition, in an attempt to assess perceptions, individual's expectations and considerations on taking the Covid-19 vaccine.