DUBAI: The UAE has proven its preparedness to confront national emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic amid confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassing one million, the head of the country’s frontline agency said. “Surpassing the one million mark for positive COVID-19 cases reaffirms the UAE’s future emergency preparedness network and continued social and economic prosperity. Our people responded by acting together as one,” Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al-Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Frontline Heroes Office, said in a statement released by state agency WAM. “As a result, the UAE consistently ranked as having one of the lowest infection and mortality rates of any country in the world. And that’s what it’s all about, protecting the health and wellbeing of our people,” he noted. The Frontline Heroes Office was created in 2020 to recognize and provide long-term support to the UAE’s frontline workers, from specialists such as doctors and nurses to staff workers including porters, housekeeping and even catering crew. It has provided scholarships to children of frontline workers, including the cost of tuition, laptop and transportation, attending public high schools and has funded college education for those enrolled at government and private universities and colleges across the UAE. Sheikh Sultan also noted the public’s commitment to follow testing protocols, practice social distancing and mask wearing, quarantining when required and having inoculated against COVID-19 has enabled the UAE leadership to deliver on its pandemic management strategy. The UAE is expected to surpass the 180-million mark for coronavirus testing and is rapidly approaching 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered this week, he added.