COVID-19 in UAE: Ministry urges parents to get kids of 12-15 group vaccinated

The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has intensified the campaign to encourage parents to get their children aged between 12 and 15 vaccinated for Covid-19.

"Vaccination is our Hope. The Vaccine is Your Safety”, is the new social media campaign in which the ministry has called on families to choose vaccination and stop postponing the inoculation of their children.

“To protect the safety and security of our children and those around them, the vaccine is available for children between 12-15 years,” the MoE said on Twitter.

Parents have been told to book appointments online through the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) website so that the children can be vaccinated.

The MoHAP had in May approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children between 12 and 15.

It followed clinical trials and a strict assessment done to approve the emergency local use of the vaccine.

Many parents have had their children inoculated with the vaccine to ensure their safety before the summer break starts in this first week of July.

The MoHAP said in January that all UAE citizens and residents aged 16 and above are eligible for vaccination under the National Vaccination Programme against Covid-19.

The UAE has administered over 15 million doses of the vaccine.

The health authorities said on Sunday that the vaccine has been provided to more than 71 per cent of the total population, which represents 91.8 per cent of the eligible category.

Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector said although the vaccine does not completely prevent someone from contracting the virus, it has proved to be effective in reducing the infection rates, hospitalisation and intensive care treatment and reducing the death rate.