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UAE Covid vaccines to help students return to schools: Top official

Abu Dhabi - Official Spokesperson for the UAE’s health sector urged all parents to vaccinate their kids and ensure health and safety.

Taking a vaccine shot is an important tool in offering protection to children against Covid-19 infection as they make a gradual return to schools during the next academic year, a top official has said.

“Despite the low number of positive cases among children, vaccination is very important because students are gradually going back to face-to-face (learning in) schools next year. Our message to all parents is to be rest assured that this vaccination will help all of us feel safe and protect the health and wellness of our children,” Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson for the UAE’s health sector, said during the first media briefing after Eid Al Fitr.

Last week, the UAE approved administering Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged between 12 and 15 on an emergency basis.

“The approval has been based on the clinical trial studies, the strict evaluation for emergency use permit and the local assessment in accordance with the local rules and regulations.”

Dr Farida urged all parents to vaccinate their kids and ensure health and safety.

“Vaccination of children is important. It will reduce the burden on parents who have their children still receiving remote learning.”

Dr Farida stressed the approval for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is a significant step to protect kids, combat the spread of virus and help reach herd immunity.

“The UAE once again affirms its proactive approach to protect the health and safety of all members of the community. Expanding the coverage of vaccination to include this group would open the door for vaccinating a large number of citizens and residents in the country, and vaccinating the largest segment of society, thus contributing to reaching herd immunity.”

Dr Farida underlined that all the four vaccines available in the country are undergoing local assessment.

Separately, she pointed out that community members must choose a healthy lifestyle to boost their immunity levels. Healthy lifestyle strategies are no smoking, following a healthy diet rich in minerals and fibre, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, avoiding stress-causing factors, and following all preventive and precautionary measures.

“We recommend regular testing for vitamin D to ensure that it is not low, and we stress the importance of vitamins D, C and zinc, which are supplements that enhance immunity and help the body in fighting infectious diseases, including the prevention of Covid-19. Studies have shown that deficiency in one of these vitamins may make the body more susceptible to the disease due to the important role they play in strengthening the immune system in the human body.”

She urged community members to continue to support the nation’s fight against the pandemic and ensure speedy return to normalcy.

“The UAE sought to involve the community in all steps to overcome the crisis by raising public awareness of developments and scientific facts related to the Covid-19 virus. One of the most important elements supporting recovery is the adoption of practices that increase the immunity of individuals.”

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com