Visit Visa Holders To Get Free Covid-19 Vaccines: Abu Dhabi

All tourists and guests arriving at Abu Dhabi from overseas are now permitted to access the free Covid-19 vaccine, even if they are just holders of a visit visa. Local authorities declared on June 11 that along with them, those living in Abu Dhabi with expired residency or entry visas can also now take the free doses of the vaccine. They added that this also applies to those with expired visit visas.

More Details About This New Regulation Regarding Visit Visa: 

The Abu Dhabi Government Media Office declared this on June 11, saying that it is only valid if Abu Dhabi issued the visit visa as opposed to any other emirate. A call center executive with the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) also verified this, saying tourist visa holders can take the vaccine, which they can book through the SEHA application. 

The executive further clarified by adding visit visa holders can do this by using their Unified Number, that is, the UID number on their visa to sign up on the app. This number is mentioned in their passports. They can dial 800 50 to book their vaccine appointments. However, to register through the app, people must have a local mobile number. 

These tourists can choose either of the two vaccines, Sinopharm or Pfizer, that are available in Abu Dhabi. 

A Tourist’s Experience Getting The Vaccine:

A traveler from Canada who reached Abu Dhabi recently, named Lena, shared her experience regarding the same.

She had received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine back in Toronto, Canada, on May 22. After this, she landed in Abu Dhabi and got her second dose on June 17. She arrived at the SEHA center and got her passport stamped. Lena had to prove that she has already received the first dose in Canada to ensure that she would get the same dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

At the end of both doses, she received a vaccine card which proves that she received both the shots of her free vaccination. Lena also expressed how much she looked forward to her stay in Abu Dhabi, where she would remain till the first week of July.

How Is The UAE’s Vaccination Drive Going?

The UAE’s national vaccination drive has succeeded in immunizing over 87 percent of the total population of those who are qualified to receive the vaccine. Thus far, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MHoP) has pulled off over 14,5 million jabs of the Covid-19 vaccine to its residents. 

The country is currently conducting vaccine trials for the Sinopharm Covid vaccine for children aged between 3 and 17. Booster Sinopharm vaccine doses are now available at more than 100 vaccine centers in Abu Dhabi. Even though the vaccine is optional, all eligible members of the population are encouraged to take it to successfully tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Recent studies have discovered that the vaccine may need to be administered annually. However, vaccinated individuals who come in contact with the virus are having much lighter symptoms than the others.