ABU DHABI — The ministry of health in the United Arab Emirates has so far vaccinated 3,480,415 people against COVID-19, which accounts for 44.89 percent of the target segment of UAE population, the country"s health officials said during a media briefing on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, spokesperson for the UAE health sector added that 57.66 percent of the total population above 60 years have been inoculated against the virus. Dr. Al Hosani stated that 5,668,264 doses have been administered, at 57.31 doses per 100 persons while the number of tests conducted crossed the 29 million mark. She added that the UAE is developing its preventive systems and performing ongoing assessments of related outcomes, most notably in terms of health sector statistics and indexes, to boost the sector’s capacity and offer the best healthcare services to members of the community. The country is deploying field hospitals that are in line with international health standards to increase the health sector’s capacity, she further added, noting that seven field hospitals will be ready soon. "We have noticed a gradual decrease in the number of registered cases around the country in the past two weeks, due to the national health protocols we adopted. We also increased our monitoring of all relevant national authorities," Dr. Al Hosani said. Ismail Al Blooshi, official spokesman of the national aviation sector, stressed that since the start of the pandemic, the country has harnessed all its capacities to protect the community from its negative effects. The UAE also formed relevant committees and teams, in cooperation with the aviation community, to adopt the necessary protocols to ensure the gradual and safe operation of flights, he added, noting that the first phase consisted of providing basic supplies, such as medicines and other medical supplies, and the country has operated flights that facilitated the return of citizens and the departure of foreigners without restrictions. Over 2,700,000 tests have been carried out on those who entered the country since the resumption of flights, 0.7 percent of whom tested positive, he further added, highlighting the fact that over 70 percent of frontline workers in the aviation sector have already received COVID-19 vaccines. "The General Civil Aviation Authority established the first mobile medical centre for civil aviation medicine, which is a key achievement of the efforts to contain the pandemic’s repercussions," Al Blooshi explained. He stated that since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has worked with international community organisations with the aim of creating a balanced work system and reaching safe travel procedures for all, noting that all the measures taken by the state came in the context of the requirements and recommendations of the international community, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "The national aviation sector plays a key role in addressing the pandemic, as it transported some 2.7 million tonnes of goods around the world, including medical and food supplies, and despite the many challenges, our national carriers transported over 38.7 million passengers to and from over 140 destinations," he said in conclusion. — WAM