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This is the beginning of the end of Covid pandemic in UAE, says doctor

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Reuters

Reuters

Dubai - Covid-19 cases across the country have dipped below 100 for the first time in 565 days.

Published: Mon 18 Oct 2021, 3:24 AM

  • By
  • Dhanusha Gokulan

The UAE is winning its battle against the pandemic. Covid-19 cases in the country have dipped below 100 for the first time in 565 days, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) announced Sunday.

Of the 317,254 PCR tests conducted in the 24 hours that led to October 17, only 99 had the virus with a positivity rate of 0.031 per cent. The UAE registered infections below the 100-mark on March 31, 2020, when 52 cases were reported.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had recently said that the worst of the Covid crisis is over. “The UAE worked as one team during the pandemic, making the country among the best globally in the fight against Covid-19,” he had tweeted in August after chairing a UAE Cabinet meeting.

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UAE doctors praise UAE’s resilience

Doctors in the UAE have praised UAE’s Leadership and its people for achieving this feat while keeping residents’ livelihood and the economy running.

Dr Biji Bob Thomas, internal medicine specialist at an Aster Clinic in Sharjah, said, “We are cautiously optimistic that this might be the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UAE.”

He said, “Leadership is action, not a position. UAE leaders have shown us how to beat the pandemic by implementing an effective response by building awareness and field hospitals, a robust vaccination programme, protocols, etc. while keeping people’s livelihood and the economy running. That’s why UAE is one of very few countries in the world to achieve this target.”

Dr Zaineb Sabri, specialist internal medicine at Medcare Hospital, Sharjah, said, “The effect of a good government plan as well the mass vaccination programme implemented had created a good immune response and herd immunity. Vaccination of different age groups as young as four years old was a great strategic plan.”

Dr Abdalkarim Nassar, a specialist pulmonologist at Burjeel Specialty Hospital in Sharjah, said, “Putting the right strategy in place and advanced planning have helped the UAE in its victory over the Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic struck the nation, it opted for massive testing, tracing, and treating people — the right strategy for the time. When vaccines were invented, UAE was one of the first countries to start the vaccination campaign. And in less than a year, the country has vaccinated over 95 per cent of its population.”

The UAE was one of the first countries to initiate booster doses to the vulnerable and the larger public that had substantially increased the immunity against the virus.

"With stringent regulations in place, the UAE educated people to live with the virus without getting affected. All these factors have contributed significantly to reach the present state. And lastly, it is a moment for all – the leaders, health regulatory bodies, and most importantly, the frontline warriors – to celebrate and take pride in for they have defeated a deadly virus with unwavering grit and determination,” said Dr Nassar.



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