UAE tops the world in COVID-19 vaccination rate
- 23 May 2021
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The UAE has become the number one country in the world when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine rates.
The World COVID-19 vaccine tracker showed on Sunday that the UAE administered 12.1 million vaccines, that is, the rate of 123.17 doses per 100 people.
According to Our World In Data that tracks COVID and vaccine dosage, Israel administered 121.92 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per 100 people.
Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson of the UAE health sector, said, “73.88 per cent of all eligible groups aged 16 and over had been inoculated, the number amounting to 80.33 per cent for the over-sixties.”
The UAE has administered over 47 million coronavirus tests.
This data shows the total number of doses given in each location.
Since some vaccines require more than one dose, the number of fully vaccinated people is likely to be lower.
On the other hand, the UAE last week announced that it will begin offering a third booster shot to recipients of the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm vaccine six months after their initial two-shot vaccination.
The priority to receive an additional dose of Sinopharm is for the senior citizens and people with chronic diseases.
The move is part of the UAE's "proactive strategy to provide maximum protection for society," the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said, with priority given to those aged above 60 or suffering a chronic disease.
