UAE urges locals, residents to book COVID-19 vaccination

A healthcare worker administers a shot of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to a man at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Dubai on February 28, 2021. (File/AFP)
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DUBAI: The UAE’s health ministry urged locals and residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination to start booking appointments on Sunday, as the six-week period given to people who are most at risk ended.

Nationals and residents over the age of 16 can now get free vaccinations at any of the 205 locations across the country, the ministry said in a statement.

Those opting for vaccination must get prior booking while those who are most vulnerable will continue to be received by centers without prior booking.

At least 72 percent of those categorized as elderly, and those with chronic diseases, have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the health minister, Abdul Rahman Al-Owais, said.

The UAE has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for use, including Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and Oxford-AstraZeneca.

The UAE has so far administered over 7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.