Covid-19 bed occupancy rate in the UAE is below 3% – official

The UAE, which has reported a steady increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, is monitoring the situation and developing “efficient testing protocols”, a senior official has said.

Speaking at a media briefing on the pandemic, Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, official spokesperson of the Health Sector, said that the UAE is following a model of precautionary measures to contain the virus and its variants.

“In light of the surge in infection rates in the country compared to previous weeks and months, we stress that the health and medical situation in all the country’s hospitals are stable,” official news agency WAM quoted her as saying.

“More than 55 per cent of the hospital and ICU beds are empty, and the Covid-19 bed occupancy rate is below 3 per cent,” she added.

The UAE reported 452 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, marking the highest number of cases in three months.

The country had announced its first case of the omicron variant in early December.

Al Ghaithi stressed the UAE has managed to “monitor Covid-19 variants and implemented appropriate plans to address them, harness all available resources to contain them, and established plans and programmes based on data communicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO)”.

She also said that medical teams around the country are constantly monitoring the situation.

The country is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce infections and analyse information, to assist medical and nursing personnel in monitoring patients, she added.

So far, up to 100 per cent of the UAE’s population has received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 91.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.

“Vaccines have been provided on a wide scale all around the country and to all segments of the community who are eligible to take the vaccine. Today, the country’s vaccination rate is getting higher, which will ensure the collective immunity of the community and supports the country’s recovery efforts,” said Al Ghaithi.

She also urged all individuals to take a booster shot six months after taking the second dose of the vaccine.

“Studies have shown vaccines and booster doses significantly contribute to reducing the disease’s effects and play a major role in countering variants,” she stated.

Al Ghaithi also noted the country has tightened the preventive measures, including imposing restrictions on passengers travelling to the UAE from countries witnessing a surge in omicron infections and the mandatory use of the green pass system on the Al Hosn application.

Health Sector: Relevant authorities have tightened the precautionary measures, including imposing restrictions on passengers coming to UAE from countries witnessing a surge in infections & emergence of variants, also mandatory adoption of the green pass on the Al Hosn application

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) December 21, 2021

The green pass system, set to take effect from January 3, will require all employees and the public wishing to access federal government departments to have a green pass on their Al Hosn app. To get the green pass, individuals will need to be fully vaccinated (with the booster dose) and also have a negative PCR test result once every 14 days.

Read: UAE says green status required on Al Hosn app to access federal government offices

Al Ghaithi also stressed the importance of social responsibility and urged the public to adhere to precautionary measures by wearing face masks, regularly sanitising and avoiding crowded areas.