UAE urges above 18 individuals to take COVID booster shots

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has urged all individuals over the age of 18 years, who have completed six months after taking their second jab, to visit their nearest vaccination centre to take the booster shot.

Studies have proved that basic and booster vaccines help reduce the risk of infection, disease-related complications and death, the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said during its weekly media briefing on Tuesday, December 21.

“COVID-19 booster shots raise the antibody levels and offer both longer term protection and stronger immune response against COVID-19 variants,” a specialist in Internal Medicine at Bareen International Hospital at MBZ City, Dr Azeem Abdul Salam Mohamad told Al Arabiya English.

“In light of the surge of infection rates in the country compared to previous weeks and months, we stress the health and medical situations in hospitals are stable, with over 55% of hospital and ICU beds vacant and COVID-19 beds occupancy being below 3%,” the NCEMA stated in a tweet.

UAE on Tuesday recorded 33,340 new doses of COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total inoculated doses to 22,350,074, with a distribution rate of 225.98 doses per 100 people. It said 100 per cent of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine, while 91.5 per cent has been fully vaccinated.