During the UAE government media briefing.. Eid al-Fitr prayer to be held across UAE

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, the spokesperson for the UAE’s health sector:

• The provision of various vaccines has been expanded in all the Emirates, which are: Sinopharm, Pfizer-Biontech, AstraZeneca, and Sputnik-V. UAE citizens and residents can now obtain these vaccines at the vaccination centers in each emirate.

• The national vaccination campaign in the UAE continues to achieve its goals, as more than 72.03% of the total eligible group who are above 16 have been vaccinated. While 79.03% of the elderly who are above 60 have received the vaccine.

• A study on the vaccine’s effectiveness in the UAE revealed a significant decrease in the COVID-19 infection rate after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.

• The effectiveness of vaccination in preventing people from hospitalisation is 93%, while the efficacy of vaccination in reducing the need for intensive care is 95%.

• We are pleased to announce the beginning of “Hayat Vax” vaccine production in the UAE, a new historic milestone for vaccine manufacturing in the UAE.

• The distribution of “Hayat Vax” vaccine has started within the country, and it is expected that the UAE will become a regional hub in this field. The authorities are working to obtain the vaccine approval in other countries and have started the necessary accreditation procedures worldwide.

• The UAE was the first to use the “Sinopharma” vaccine after conducting local evaluation, which proved the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, in addition to its easy transportation and storage.

• We would like to point out that there are no studies on the safety of diversification between more than one vaccine in the meantime.

Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, the spokesperson for NCEMA:

• Today, we announce conducting Eid al-Fitr prayer and its protocol, as it was decided to limit the prayer time to 15 minutes, including “Khutbah”, where precautionary measures, such as wearing masks and physical distancing must be applied.

It is strictly prohibited for individuals in contact with COVID-19 patients and people suffering from chronic diseases to attend the Eid prayer.

Gatherings and handshakes before and after prayer are prohibited in all their forms, where greetings and congratulations from a distance would be enough.

Prayers will be held in approved mosques or Eid “Musalla” across the UAE. Service facilities and places of ablution “Wuḍūʾ” will remain closed.

The mosques will open only 15 minutes before the Eid prayer and close immediately after the completion of the sermon.