UAE considers imposing sanctions on residents without COVID jabs

The gulf state reported 1,903 new COVID-19 cases and three mortalities related to the highly transmissible disease overnight.

According to Dr Saif Al-Dhaheri, spokesman for the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, “The vaccine is our best means to recover and return to a normal life … Delaying or refraining from taking the vaccine poses a threat to the safety of society and puts all groups, especially those most vulnerable to infection, at risk,”

While urging residents aged 16 and above to get vaccinated he added, “Strict measures are being considered to restrict the movement of unvaccinated individuals and to implement preventive measures, such as restricting entry to some places and having access to some services, to ensure the health and safety of everyone,”

The state’s COVID-19 cases now stand at 500,860 while the total death count is at 1,559, a report from a state news agency said.

Health officials said that 9,788,826 jabs at a distribution rate of 98.97 doses per 100 people have been administered.

Emarati state earlier approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after beginning a mass campaign using the Sinopharm vaccine that was trialled in the country.

Pfizer obtained emergency approval in the UAE in December and Dubai rolled out the vaccine during that month.