DUBAI — The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in coordination with Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management and the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre announced on Wednesday that it has commenced its COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The campaign will see the DHA providing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination, which has recently been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration and registered by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. The DHA revealed that in the first phase of the rollout of the campaign, it will target four main categories; the first category includes Emirati and resident elders aged 60 years and above, people with chronic diseases, and people of determination. The second category includes frontline health workers in both the public and private sectors. The third category includes vital-sector workers and the fourth category includes members of the public who wish to get vaccinated. The DHA stated that it has approved specific numbers from each vaccination category according to the planned stages and priorities. The first individuals to receive the vaccine are 84-year old senior citizen Ali Salem Ali Aladidi; 36-year-old Shamaa Saif Rashid Alalili from Dubai Ambulance; 45-year-old Asha Susan Philip, DHA Nurse; 37-year-old Asif Khan Fazle Subhan, RTA driver; and 32-year-old Adel Hassan Shukralla from Dubai Police. The vaccinations will be available at six DHA health facilities that include: Zabeel Primary Health Care Centre, Al Mizhar Primary Health Care Centre, Nad Al Hamr Primary Health Care Centre, Barsha Primary Health Care Centre, Uptown Mirdif Medical Fitness Centre, and Hatta Hospital. UAE residents can register and book appointments for vaccination through the DHA app or the DHA’s toll-free number 800 342. The DHA reiterated the importance of continuing to observe precautionary measures and leading a healthy lifestyle even after receiving the vaccine. It sought the community’s cooperation in ensuring sustained adherence to preventive protocols to strengthen the efforts of authorities to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The Authority said that the success of its comprehensive measures to combat the virus has led to Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world. The DHA has undertaken critical preventive measures including rigorous implementation of monitoring, surveillance, and quarantine protocols. It has also taken vital proactive steps such as increasing the COVID-19 PCR testing capacity to more than 80,000 tests per day. The DHA emphasized that providing a COVID-19 vaccine is part of the Dubai government’s keenness to protect the public from risks of infection, which will contribute to global efforts to overcome the pandemic. The Authority also stressed that the vaccination drive is an important step in further strengthening Dubai’s integrated healthcare system and its comprehensive strategy to counter COVID-19. —WAM