The UAE has implemented one of the fastest Covid-19 vaccination programmes in the world. EPA
The UAE has implemented one of the fastest Covid-19 vaccination programmes in the world. EPA
The UAE has implemented one of the fastest Covid-19 vaccination programmes in the world. EPA
The UAE has implemented one of the fastest Covid-19 vaccination programmes in the world. EPA

UAE urges all citizens and residents to book appointments for Covid-19 vaccine


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The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention has urged all Emiratis and eligible residents to book appointments to obtain the coronavirus vaccine.

Authorities say they are now expanding the country's vaccination programme, which prioritised at-risk groups for the past six weeks.

The expanded inoculation campaign will start from Sunday, March 21.

Eligible citizens and residents aged 16 and above can now be inoculated free of charge at any of the 205 vaccination locations nationwide, the health ministry said.

Officials urged those requesting a vaccine to book in advance. Vulnerable people without appointments will continue to receive priority at walk-in clinics.

The ministry said the past six weeks were a collaborative effort to prioritise those most at risk of infection, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases, such as heart, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses.

Dr Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said on Saturday that 72.89 per cent of elderly Emiratis and residents and those with chronic diseases had been vaccinated against Covid-19.

He said 56.59 per cent of the eligible population had been inoculated against the disease.

In line with the National Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign, the ministry has urged the eligible population to get vaccinated and to encourage their family members, friends and colleagues to do the same.

The UAE has approved four Covid vaccines for emergency use: Sinopharm; Pfizer-BioNTech; Sputnik V; and Oxford-AstraZeneca.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention earlier said it was working to get the entire UAE population vaccinated as soon as possible.

The UAE has to date administered 7,181,056 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at a rate of 72.61 doses for every 100 people.

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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

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The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

About Housecall

Date started: July 2020

Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded