Walk-in vaccination centres for students open in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Health and education authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi have collaborated to open walk-in COVID-19 vaccination centres for students aged 12 and above, school teachers and administrative staff in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, whether they are residents or new to the Emirate.

The collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH), Abu Dhabi Public Health Center (ADPHC), and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) follows the recent success of ADEK’s pop-up vaccination centre at Yas Mall, where over 1,800 students were vaccinated.

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The dedicated centres in the Green Hall- SEHA COVID-19 Vaccination Centre- Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi and Green Hall -SEHA COVID-19 Vaccination Centre- Al Ain Convention Centre are open daily from 8 am until 8 pm until 31st October. Appointments are not required, though students below the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian not younger than 21 years old.

"With students aged 16 and above requiring vaccination to return to face-to-face in-school learning for the new academic year, the new vaccination centres are designed to make the process as easy as possible and facilitate a smooth return to school for the entire education community. We encourage parents to continue playing their vital part and vaccinate their children," explained Amer Al Hammadi, ADEK Under-Secretary.

Students can walk into the centres without an appointment but must present their Emirates ID at registration.

As per requirements for a three-week window between the two doses, all members within the education community are advised to receive their first vaccination as early as possible.

The centres offer first, second and booster doses Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines which students and the wider education community can access either at these two centres or any other DoH approved vaccination centre. The entire procedure, including post-vaccination observation, should take no more than 40 minutes.

Residents can walk into the centres without an appointment but must present their Emirates ID at registration, while new arrivals to the school community will need to show a passport and residency entry permit with UID. Registration also includes presenting an employee ID, employment or enrolment letter from a school, and displaying green or grey status on the ALHOSN app.

Only one parent or legal guardian per family is allowed into the centres to avoid overcrowding and ensure a streamlined vaccination process.

Students aged 16 and above choosing to return to face-to-face in-school learning must be vaccinated as per protocols issued by the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee. Students with vaccination exemptions can enter school premises provided the exemption is verified on their ALHOSN app or hrough an official letter from a DoH authorised vaccination providers such as SEHA or Mubadala Health.