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

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  Families walk in Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  Abu Dhabi private school staff wait to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of a drive organised by Adek. Courtesy: Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge

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  A man receives a dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 at St Paul’s Church in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  A coronavirus vaccine shipment is unloaded from an Emirates aircraft at Dubai International Airport on February 1. The airline is part of the Vaccine Logistics Alliance, which also includes logistics giant DP World. AFP

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  A panel indicates the way to a Covid-19 vaccination centre set up at Dubai International Financial Centre. AFP

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  A woman waits for her turn at a vaccination centre at Dubai International Financial Centre. AFP

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  A man is registered before receiving a dose of vaccine at a centre in Dubai International Financial Centre. AFP

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  A health worker checks a man's temperature before he receives a dose of vaccine. AFP

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  A commuter wears a face mask while travelling on the Dubai Metro. AP

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.