His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management praised the community’s positive response to the UAE's extensive COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The responsibility and awareness shown by the community resulted in high demand for vaccination across the country, he said.
His Highness’s remarks came during a meeting of Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management held to review COVID-19 data and developments. He highlighted the importance of implementing the UAE leadership’s directives to rapidly roll out an extensive vaccination campaign to raise protection levels in the community.
More than 4.5 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the UAE as of Tuesday, 9 February, at a distribution rate of 45.77 doses per 100 people, one of the highest in the world. The UAE’s ability to provide robust healthcare has resulted in the country registering one of the world’s lowest mortality rates of0.3%, compared to a global mortality rate of 2.14%.
HH Sheikh Mansoor expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and its cooperation with other stakeholders to provide free vaccines to citizens and residents, a goal that is one of the country’s highest priorities.
The COVID-19 situation in the UAE is fully under control due to the stringent implementation of intensified precautionary measures, His Highness said. Sheikh Mansoor called on all community members, from citizens to residents and visitors, to fully adhere to the precautionary measures both at individual and institutional levels. This commitment remains crucial to the success of efforts to combat the pandemic, he stressed.
HH Sheikh Mansoor further said all stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to be agile in takingdecisions based on scientific data generated with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis technologies.
Emphasising that there will be no compromise on public health and safety, His Highness said: “The Government of Dubai is closely monitoring developments locally and globally and is taking all measures needed to ensure the highest levels of safety in the community. All our decisions are based on a comprehensive assessment of the situation. Our team of highly-qualified experts from all disciplines contribute to the decision-making process.”
Throughout the pandemic, Dubai has proven it is geared to deal with the most challenging of COVID-19 scenarios. The emirateis comprehensively prepared to manage every aspect of the current situation and has the capacity and expertise required to provide extensive medical care in any situation. Dubai’s ability to rapidly set up field hospitals demonstrates the strength of itshealthcare system, Sheikh Mansoor noted.
The emirate’s measures are focused on saving both lives and livelihoods. Stringent preventive protocols are balanced with measures to ensure business continuity and economic sustainability. The Dubai government’s wide-ranging support measures through five stimulus packages worth AED7.1 billionhas helped offset the economic impact of COVID-19.
The Committee discussed monitoring reports submitted by various stakeholders including the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre and Dubai Health Authority. The meeting reviewed the recommendations made in the light of the reports and stressed the importance of monitoring compliance and imposing stringent penalties on violators.