UAE to set up 7 Covid-19 field hospitals; Dubai increases interval between Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs

The UAE will soon set up seven field hospitals to deal with Covid-19 patients, an official confirmed on Tuesday.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, said that these hospitals will be “in line with international health standards to increase the health sector’s capacity.” She did not specify where these hospitals will be set up or by when they will be ready to accept patients.

Media reports last month indicated that a new field hospital was being built in Sharjah to deal with Covid-19 emergencies, citing the emirate’s police chief Major General Saif Al Ziri Al Shamsi.

On Wednesday, the UAE reported a total of 3,005 Covid-19 cases. The nationwide Covid-19 case count has risen to 375,535, including 366,567 patients who have since recovered from the virus and 1,145 people who succumbed to it.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has increased the interval between the first and second doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca to 10 weeks.

It said that it reached the decision to do so based on recent studies from the University of Oxford on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and as per the recommendations of the WHO.

Based on recent studies from the University of Oxford on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and as per the recommendations of the WHO, DHA has approved a 10-week interval between the 1st & 2nd dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. pic.twitter.com/hXzPns7RE6

— هيئة الصحة بدبي (@DHA_Dubai) February 23, 2021

It added that the studies recorded a higher efficacy and higher acquired immunity when the interval between the first and second dose was increased.

All those who are due for their second dose of the vaccine will be notified by the DHA via a text message with a date and location for their vaccination.

On Wednesday, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has announced that 110,471 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered over the preceding 24 hours.

The total number of doses administered stands at 5,668,264, with a vaccine distribution rate of 57.31 doses per 100 people.