The UAE’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic was remarkable enough for the World Health Organization (WHO) to acknowledge.
And earlier this year, the country rose to the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking.
Right off the bat, the country implemented effective public health measures, beginning with activating an emergency response system, issuing guidance for risk communication with the public, building field hospitals and providing rapid drive-through PCR testing.
During the first week of May 2022, the UAE’s daily Covid-19 cases dropped to around 200, with zero deaths.
The total number of cases in the UAE as of May 5 were 899,637, while total recoveries stood at 883,461. The number of deaths stood at 2,302.
The credits go to the UAE’s emergency response system, which is managed by National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA).
The UAE government was vigilant in issuing the first alert of the new coronavirus outbreak, even before it was declared by WHO as a public health emergency of international concern.
Risk communication is a key factor during a pandemic, and the UAE government executed a detailed awareness campaign that targeted different groups of the community and provided a daily update about the status of the disease locally and internationally.
The UAE adopted the mandatory use of face masks in March 2020, again well ahead of the WHO recommendation of this policy.
Tech platforms to the fore
Smart-technology platforms were effectively used in the UAE to combat Covid-19.
For example, a chatbot service was established by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) for Covid-19.
The “Doctor for every citizen” app was also made available for people to provide Covid-19-related information and services.
The Weqaya platform by NCEMA was utilized to enhance awareness among the public on the Covid-19 public health crisis.
The ALHOSN UAE app is the official integrated digital platform for Covid-19 tests in the UAE, through which individuals can receive test results on their smartphones.
Similarly, the StayHome app supported quarantine and isolation of patients.
Lending a helping hand
The UAE has also been known for supporting countries that are in need of major medical aid.
For example, in collaboration with international entities, the Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company provided more than 500 million syringes and needles for the Covid-19 vaccines, which is equivalent to 25 percent of UNICEF and COVAX’s global need for 2021.
Additionally, the Abu Dhabi HOPE Consortium initiative brought together public-private industry partners, including the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, Rafed, and SkyCell, to facilitate the delivery of 18 billion vaccine doses around the world by the end of 2021.
The UAE was one of the first countries to support and actively participate in clinical trials aimed at evaluating the efficacy and immunogenicity of various vaccines.
Remarkably, clinical trials were launched in the UAE for the first time in its history, including the 4 Humanity phase-3 trial with the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in July 2020 and the Sputnik V-UAE phase-3 trial in January 2021.
This provided a golden opportunity for scientists to conduct high-quality research that spanned many fields, including epidemiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Global plaudits
In January 2022, the UAE rose to the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, outperforming European countries in terms of containing the spread of the pandemic.
It was also named the best place to be with the emergence of the Omicron variant, and one of the most consistent performers when it came to testing and vaccinating the population.
According to Bloomberg, the UAE led the world in January in terms of resilience in addressing and containing the pandemic.
It attained a score of 78.9 out of 100 in a report that uses 12 data indicators to monitor the resilience of countries in addressing the pandemic.
These included virus containment, quality of healthcare, vaccination coverage, overall mortality and progress toward restarting travel.
In its report, Bloomberg noted that the UAE’s ratio of Covid-19 vaccination to population was 244.4 percent at the end of January.
It said the UAE’s success was based on an approach it had been following for months: a combination of almost full vaccination and consistent openness to travel.
Last August, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also vice-president and prime minister of the UAE, said the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic was over.
“The UAE worked as one team during the pandemic, making the country among the best globally in the fight against Covid-19,” he tweeted.
During his visit to the UAE in December 2021, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded the resilience demonstrated by the UAE in the face of Covid-19.
Ghebreyesus commended the UAE’s solidarity with other countries since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and its assistance to the medical staff and frontline workers in many countries.
He also highlighted the country’s initiatives to spread awareness and combat chronic and communicable diseases in various parts of the world and their positive impact on living conditions.
Last month, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, marked World Health Day (April 7) by thanking the frontline health workers who helped keep people safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
“On World Health Day, we express our appreciation to all of the heroes who helped combat the pandemic,” he said on Twitter.
“We also reaffirm the importance of international cooperation and continued investment in all aspects of health for a more sustainable future for humanity.”
Relaxed Covid protocol and Eid
UAE residents welcomed a return to normalcy as they celebrated throughout the holy month of Ramadan and then Eid al Fitr with relaxed Covid protocols this year.
It was difficult for people to hold community celebrations during the last two years because of the Covid restrictions.
This year, they invited their extended families and enjoyed the Eid festivities together.