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AMMAN: The UAE said on Sunday that 71 percent of the country’s population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. 
Dr. Farida Al-Hosani, spokeswoman for the UAE health sector, said that represents about 91.8 percent of the eligible category. 
Speaking during a media briefing, Al-Hosani said the UAE has maintained first place in the world in the rate of doses distributed per 100 people, and the national inoculation campaign continues to achieve its goals.
She added that more than 15 million doses have been administered to date and the UAE has conducted over 15 million coronavirus tests, which confirms that the UAE “is one of the most successful global models in limiting the spread of the crisis.”
She said that all the vaccines have proven to be effective in reducing infection rates, and called on the public to register to take the vaccine.
She said 16 percent of people who have been vaccinated have tested positive for coronavirus, while 84 percent of those unvaccinated have been infected. 
Al-Hosani said the number of deaths in the country increased during the past week compared to the previous week, due to the spread of viral mutations and the failure to adhere to preventive measures, in addition to a reluctance to take vaccinations. She said unvaccinated people accounted for 94 percent of these cases, while the percentage of vaccinated people was 6 percent.
Al-Hosani also said the Delta variant was particularly worrying as it spread much faster than other mutations, adding that global studies show that the transmissibility of the Delta variant has increased by about 40 to 60 percent.
“Recent data received from some countries also highlights that the risk of hospitalization doubles after infection with the Delta mutation compared with the Alpha mutation, especially in those who suffer from other health conditions,” she said.
Al-Hosani added that the Ministry of Health and Prevention is working in cooperation with concerned authorities to monitor and evaluate these variants on an ongoing basis and follows up on global changes. 
She said that through national monitoring systems, “we noticed that the most dominant strains in the country currently are the Alpha, Beta and Delta strains, which are mutated strains that have been monitored in many countries, which calls us all to join hands and unite efforts and speed up vaccinations.
“We find that the most common strain is the Beta strain with 39.2 percent, followed by the Delta with 33.9 percent, and finally the Alpha strain with 11.3 percent,” she said.
With regards to traveling during the summer holiday, she added: “We do not recommend traveling for those without the COVID-19 vaccine, or those who have not completed the vaccine doses out of fear of further exposure to the disease and its complications.”
For those who have been vaccinated, she said to ensure that both doses have been taken and recommended taking a booster dose for those who completed their inoculation six months ago.
The UAE on Sunday recorded four coronavirus death, raising the toll to 1,796.
The health ministry said 2,122 new confirmed cases were reported, raising the total 626,936, while 2,077 patients recovered in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 605,618