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UAE Covid crisis is over, but residents must continue following all safety protocols

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Dubai - Threat of Covid infection still exists and people must do all they can to stay safe, says official

Published: Wed 13 Oct 2021, 10:23 AM

UAE residents have been reminded to adhere to all Covid safety protocols as the country emerges stronger from the pandemic.

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Citing Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Rankings, Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, spokesperson of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), said the UAE is the sixth best to live in globally — and the best in the region — during the pandemic. The country climbed nine places since August 2020 to reach the top 6.

The country has overcome the crisis period, with daily cases dipping to below 150 over the last few days. Residents, however, still need to maintain the safety practices they had adopted during the peak of Covid, the official said.

Dr Saif said on Tuesday that the top reason for cases to dip substantially was the community’s commitment to abiding by the safety measures. The country’s impressive vaccination rates — the highest in the world — are the other reason, the official added.

As on October 12, over 85 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while close to 96 per cent have received at least one dose. The country has administered over 20.5 million vaccine doses, with a distribution rate of 207.76 per 100 people.

However, the risk of infection still exists, and people must do all they can to stay safe, Dr Saif said.

The safety measures include wearing masks, ensuring a safe social distance, routine Covid tests, good hand hygiene and periodic sanitisation.

“We must cooperate in order to ensure the gradual return to a new normal lifestyle. The safety practices we adopted helped reduce the number of daily infections and increase recoveries,” Dr Saif said.

Endemic stage

Medical experts had on Monday told Khaleej Times that the UAE has reached what is called an ‘endemic’ stage.

Also read:

>> UAE's daily Covid cases dip below 130: Has the pandemic become endemic?

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A disease is considered an ‘endemic’ when it remains constantly maintained at a baseline level and is predictable and manageable.

UAE leaders, too, had assured the public that the crisis situation is over.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had recently said that the worst of the Covid crisis is over.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, had acknowledged the difficulties and challenges posed by the virus in the past few months. (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/video-thank-god-uae-has-overcome-covid-19-crisis-says-sheikh-mohamed)

“However, the UAE was one of the first countries to emerge from the crisis, at a time when some faced great difficulties," he said.

He had said that Covid is now under control and less dangerous than it was.



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