During the UAE government media briefing.. The reason behind surge in COVID-19 deaths during the past week

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, the official Spokesperson for the Health Sector:

• The COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be effective in reducing infection rates but not preventing it completely. Vaccines have also proven to be successful in reducing admission to hospitals, intensive care units and fatality rate.

The vaccine has been provided to more than 71% of the UAE population, representing 91.8% of the eligible category.

• The infection rate among the vaccinated people was 16%, while the unvaccinated reached 84%.
11% of the vaccinated people were admitted to the hospital after contracting the virus, while the unvaccinated were 89%.

• 92% of the unvaccinated were admitted to the intensive care compared to the vaccinated people who represented 8%.

• Fatality rate has increased during the past week due to the spread of viral mutations, in addition to the reluctance to take the vaccinations. Unfortunately, 94% of the deceased did not receive the vaccine, while 6% were inoculated.

• We noticed through the national monitoring system that the most prevalent strains in the country currently are (Alpha), (Beta) and (Delta), which are mutated strains that have been detected in many countries worldwide. Hence we need to join hands, unify our efforts and speed up taking the vaccines.

• Based on the strains genetic detection system in the UAE, we found that the most common strain is the beta strain, 39.2%, followed by delta 33.9% and the alpha strain 11.3%.

• We do not recommend traveling for those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine or who have not completed the doses of the vaccine to avoid exposure to the disease and its complications.

• We noticed that some people might insist on taking more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine than recommended, which contradicts the opinion of doctors and may expose them to health complications. We advise everyone to adhere to the medical opinion of the treating doctor.

• Al-Hosn application is currently working efficiently and effectively as usual. All users can now obtain their PCR and DPI test results and vaccination status through the application.