16-year-olds can now get a vaccine in UAE

NEW SCREENING PROTOCOL FOR THE VACCINATED IN ABU DHABI

The UAE has lowered the minimum age requirement to receive a Covid-19 vaccination to 16, from 18 previously, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said yesterday.

The announcement comes as the ministry yesterday expanded vaccine eligibility in line with the UAE’s proactive policy to ensure the health and safety of all community members.

Meanwhile, a set of new screening protocol was announced in Abu Dhabi yesterday for residents who have been vaccinated, as well as those who have participated in the Covid-19 vaccine trials.

There are currently two groups of people who have been vaccinated in Abu Dhabi: One group that received the vaccines as part of the trials while the other comprises those who have received the vaccine as part of the national vaccination programme.

Special identification: ‘E’ on Alhosn app

In Abu Dhabi, residents who took the vaccine as part of the national vaccination programme can get their special identification status — the letter ‘E’ on Alhosn app — by taking a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 28 days after their second vaccine shot. They do not need to undergo regular medical checks, but “will need to get a PCR test done once every seven days to keep their special status”. Residents who took the vaccine as part of the vaccine trials can get their special identification status — a golden star on the Alhosn app — by taking a PCR test after all the doses prescribed in the trials are completed. They must undergo regular medical checks as part of the trials, and will also need to get a PCR test done every seven days to retain their special status.

The Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the Sharjah Medical District, began receiving applications for vaccination of Covid-19 for senior citizens, including the disabled, psychiatric patients and their families at home from Saturday.

The initiative took off after the completion of the training of the medical staff of the department in cooperation with the primary health care centers on the approved medical procedures for vaccination.

Afaf Ebrahim Al Mirri, Head of the Social Services Department

in Sharjah, said: “The department’s launch of the home vaccination service is one of the most important services that will facilitate access to the most vulnerable groups.”