10-day quarantine must before 2nd dose of vaccine if in touch with COVID-19 patient in UAE

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Sunday advised all residents preparing to get the second dose of vaccine to wait for a certain period if they are in close contact with a COVID-19 patient.

In a video message the DHA urged all those who were in close contact with a patient not to rush for their second dose of vaccine.

According to experts all close contacts must first finish their entire 10-day quarantine period to be sure there is no COVID infection.

The DHA said that it is only after completing this period that the close contacts can then call 800342 to reschedule their appointment for their second dose.

A close contact is any individual who has spent more than 15 minutes with a confirmed COVID-19 case without maintaining a physical distance of 2 metres. The quarantine period is 10 days from the last meeting with the confirmed case.

The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Dr Hend Al Awadhi, Head of Health Promotion and Education at the DHA, stressed that close contacts must abide by the precautionary measures detailed in the DHA’s guidebook: “Close Contacts: Quarantine and Precautionary Guidelines”, which is available on the DHA website www.dha.gov.ae.

Health experts have been encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Authorities said that vaccines are a safe and effective way to stimulate the immune system and protect individuals from COVID-19, without causing the disease.

The vaccines available in the UAE are: Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm.

AstraZeneca vaccine bottles are stored at a lab in Dubai.

They are all safe for individuals.  

Residents who are above 60 years old, and suffering from chronic diseases and people of determination are advised to book an appointment through DHA App or by calling 800342 for vaccination.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported 2,930 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

Additionally, 1,517 individuals have recovered and eight people passed away in the last 24 hours.

Using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment, the ministry has carried out 226,139 additional COVID-19 tests.

The UAE has recorded 391, 524 since the outbreak, 381,225 have recovered and 1,221 have passed away.

The Ministry announced that 5,372 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given in the past 24 hours.
The total number of doses provided up to today stands at 6,020,461 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 60.87 doses per 100 people.