Dubai inoculates residents with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
- 08 Feb 2021
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it has started providing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine to certain group of people in Dubai.
The DHA’s initiative is a commitment to provide the public a choice of different vaccines.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is available at two centres.
One Central Vaccination Centre is for the first category of people, while the DHA Vaccination Field Centre is for the second category of people.
The DHA earlier announced that the first shipment of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has arrived from India at Dubai Airport.
The provision of the vaccine also supports the UAE’s broader objective of combating the pandemic.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is the latest addition to the list of COVID-19 vaccines offered by DHA, which include the Pfizer- BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines.
A British expat based in Dubai, David F. Overall was one of the first to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The authorities at DHA said a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 can take the vaccine after completing 3 months from the date of your positive PCR test.
The patient should keep his medical records intact.
The DHA) also issued guidelines for getting the vaccine in the emirate.
The DHA said three documents are required when visiting DHA COVID-19 vaccination facilities:
-Emirates ID
-Copy of valid Dubai residence visa
-A medical report proving that you have a chronic disease
The DHA also announced that Al Khawaneej and Al Badaa health centres have been dedicated to treat COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Hanan Al Hammadi, Consultant and Director of the Medical Affairs Department at the Primary Health Care Services Sector at the DHA said that the centres will cater to positive COVID-19 patients who were referred based on appointments set by the DHA Contact Centre and the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre.
The health centres will provide patients with quality comprehensive healthcare services 24/7, she noted.
Dr. Al Hammadi explained that doctors will evaluate each case and conduct necessary tests to determine if the patient requires home or institutional isolation or if they should be referred to a hospital.