UAE pioneering COVID-19 vaccine development, reports 179 new coronavirus cases

Dr Omar Al Hammadi, the official spokesman for the UAE Government at the media briefing, announced the numbers and developments related to COVID-19 disease in the UAE, indicating that the number of new daily tests have reached 58,953. These tests have revealed 179 new cases bringing the total cases registered in the country to 62,704. All new cases are undergoing medical treatment.

Al-Hammadi also announced the registration of 198 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 56,766, while no deaths were recorded and pointing out that 5,581 patients are currently receiving treatment.

He explained during the briefing that vaccines are an effective way to address any pandemic, stressing that the UAE is a global pioneer in starting research and studies aimed at developing a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19 in order to preserve the lives of millions of people around the world. The UAE contributes to reducing costs which other countries are spending in order to provide appropriate health care to the infected.

Al-Hammadi added that the process is done by injecting a dead or weak microbial material into the body in order to stimulate the immune system to produce the tools required to defend the body. Through this simulation, the body remembers how to fight disease in the future.

The official spokesman for the UAE Government noted that some vaccines give the body lifelong immunity, such as the measles vaccine, and some provide immunity for one year, such as the influenza vaccine. This is due to the evolution of the virus and its attack methods, which means some vaccines need to be evolved and renewed accordingly.

He indicated that the ultimate goal of vaccines is to eradicate the disease. Vaccinations have led to the complete elimination of the smallpox disease and humanity is very close to eliminating polio globally too.

He said that scientific progress has contributed to the transition from the field of developing vaccines for infectious diseases to the field of developing vaccines against chronic diseases such as Hepatitis C, and vaccines now have the ability to protect humans from cirrhosis and cancer, as well providing protection against HPV.

Al-Hammadi listed three benefits that vaccines provide to humans (when it comes to infectious diseases), at the forefront is the protection from infection, preventing the emergence of disease symptoms when infected and the protection of transfer between the infected to the uninfected.

The spokesman answered a series of questions during the briefing, where he revealed that the increase in cases of 30 percent during the last period is due to social visits and not following the preventive measures.

He stressed that the authorities monitor daily all the variables related to the numbers of cases across various nationalities in the country, stressing that the increase in the number of infections among citizens has been announced after this worrying indicator has been monitored, in order to preserve the health and safety of everyone.

Al-Hammadi explained that some mistakenly link the opening of markets, restaurants and commercial centres as a reason for the increase instead of the home gatherings, however gatherings that are held in public places are monitored by the authorities and take into account all the instructions and preventive measures such as social spacing, heat detection and sterilization, unlike household gatherings which are not monitored and preventive measures such as wearing masks are often overlooked.

With regards to the reliability of the laser blood test to diagnose Covid-19, Al-Hammadi answered that this type of test helps to quickly identify any changes in the blood, which may indicate infection, but does not prove it definitively, stressing that the polymerase chain reaction test, also known as the PCR test, is the most accurate test to establish a diagnosis and recovery.

Al-Hammadi explained that the immune system in the human body, once becoming infected with the virus, develops a defensive reaction that causes a change in the blood and this process takes a period of three to 10 days. The first type of defensive reaction to be produced is known as IgM, which is fast but temporary and is present in the blood. A recent infection also can mean that the person is still carrying the virus.

The spokesman added that the immune system, evolves it’s reaction over a period of one to two weeks after infection, and produces a second type of defense, which is IgM, which constitutes sustainable or long-term immunity. Its presence in the human body can indicate a previous infection even if the individual had no symptoms. It would indicate that the individual has immunity to the virus, either because of a previous infection or because of taking a vaccination.

Al-Hammadi stressed that this process means it is possible for a person to carry the virus for several days before the body develops immunity, which may take a period of one to three weeks after the infection occurs.

WAM