Abu Dhabi: No prior appointments required for Covid-19 vaccines and booster jabs

Officials in Abu Dhabi have confirmed that the Covid-19 vaccines, as well as the booster jabs, for children, senior citizens and residents in the emirate will be available without prior booking at all SEHA vaccination centres.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the healthcare regulator, has confirmed that the Sinopharm vaccine is available for children aged 3 to 17 and the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for those aged 12 and above.

Read: Abu Dhabi makes Pfizer, Sinopharm booster shots available

The Covid-19 booster vaccine shot is available for individuals who have received their second dose at least six months ago. The DoH noted that the booster shot is designed to strengthen the body’s immunity response against the different strains, considering the continuous spread of the Covid-19 virus and the emergence of new variants.

.@DoHSocial is providing Covid-19 vaccines for children, senior citizens and residents, and the required booster dose, without prior booking at all SEHA vaccination centres. pic.twitter.com/6D3F5fcFAZ

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) August 18, 2021

The DoH has called upon all parents in the emirate to get their children vaccinated. Besides the vaccine being available at all SEHA centres, starting August 17 – October 31 is will also be available exclusively for students and educational staff at the Mina Zayed Vaccination Center and the Al Ain Convention Center daily from 8am-8pm.

Read: Covid-19: Abu Dhabi opens walk-in vaccination centres exclusively for students and educational staff

From August 20, students aged 16 and above as well as staff must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be allowed entry to schools in Abu Dhabi.

Students and school staff with vaccination exemptions can enter school premises provided the exemption is verified on the Alhosn app or through an official letter from a DoH  authorised vaccination provider such as SEHA or Mubadala Health.

“We continue to strengthen our efforts to maintain the health and safety of all members of the community as it remains at the forefront of our priorities, and we are committed to making Covid-19 vaccines available and accessible to all Abu Dhabi citizens and residents. The whole world has been fighting this pandemic for almost two years and vaccines are the most effective way in defeating it and returning to a normal quality of life,” said Dr. Jamal Mohammed AlKaabi, undersecretary of DoH.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said on Wednesday that 52,433 doses of the vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours across the country.

The total number of doses administered therefore stands at over 17.5 million, with a vaccine distribution rate of 177.01 doses per 100 people.