Determined efforts by UAE against COVID-19

It is a matter of pride for the nation that the UAE has ranked first in the Middle East and tenth in the world in safety from the COVID-19 pandemic, as per an updated list issued by the non-profit “Deep Knowledge” group, concerned with healthcare and artificial intelligence.

The fact that the UAE has surpassed developed countries, such as Singapore, Canada, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States reveals that efforts to combat the pandemic have been strong, determined and hugely effective.

This assessment is based on six top-level categories (Quarantine Efficiency, Government Efficiency of Risk Management, Monitoring and Detection, Health Readiness, Regional Resilience and Emergency Preparedness).

The UAE has achieved 125 points in the quarantine efficiency, 162.64 in the government efficiency of risk management, 142.35 monitoring and detection of COVID-19 cases, 72.32 in the health readiness, 99.87 in the country vulnerability of regional crisis and 121.25 in the emergency preparedness with a total score of 723.35.

The study has been exhaustive and Deep Knowledge Group assessed countries and regions globally based on 130 parameters and 11400 data points to determine safety and risk level during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world has been struggling with the pandemic with at least 869,718 people dead of coronavirus, and there are 26,366,810 infected in 196 countries and territories since the outbreak of pandemic in December 2019.

The United States is the country most affected in terms of deaths and cases, with 186,806 deaths to 6,151,101 cases, according to a report by Johns Hopkins University.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, does not expect widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, highlighting the gravity of the situation.

None of the candidate vaccines in advanced clinical trials so far has demonstrated a “clear signal” of efficacy at the level of at least 50% sought by the WHO, spokeswoman Margaret Harris has been quoted as saying.

The UAE now occupies a leading position in the region in terms of dealing with “COVID-19”, thanks to the country’s adoption of an excellent mechanism to monitor and detect new cases, with a high readiness to deal with health emergencies, as well as government efficiency and speed of response to developments. It is also heartening that 4 Humanity, world’s first Phase III COVID-19 inactivated vaccine trial has reached 31,000 vaccinated volunteers from over 120 nationalities.

The first Phase III trials of an inactivated vaccine for COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates are among the largest in the world in volunteer recruitment having reached 31,000 vaccinated volunteers from more than 120 nationalities in only six weeks.

The speed and efficiency of volunteer registration, screening and vaccination is setting new global benchmarks for the 4Humanity trials of the inactivated vaccine developed by Sinopharm CNBG, a world leading vaccine manufacturer.

The trials are being managed by Abu-Dhabi based G42 Healthcare in partnership with the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.

Thousands of volunteers have already received their second shot of the vaccine and will continue to undergo regular monitoring and health checks.

There is absolutely no scope for laxity on the part of any individual when it comes to taking precautionary measures against the pandemic.

All members of the society should cooperate with health authorities, adhere to the instructions and physical distance to ensure the health and safety of all.