Covid-19 vaccine acceptance rate in UAE one of the highest in the world, new survey shows

Exclusive: Sixty-nine per cent of people in the UAE say they are willing to take the vaccine

Abu Dhabi resident Abdulaziz Karmastaji gets vaccinated at Seha's cruise ship terminal facility in January

Abu Dhabi resident Shaikha Al Dheiri waiting to get vaccinated.

A healthcare worker smiles for the cameras.

Nearly 20,000 people are vaccinated daily at the centre.

Mohamed Hawas Al Sadid, chief executive of Seha, said nearly 20,000 people are getting shots every day.

People in the waiting room.

An Emirati waits for her turn to get the vaccine.

A young Emirati at the vaccination centre at the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal area.

Aya, 24, and Jana, 18, after receiving the vaccine. The Sinopharm vaccine is available across the country without charge at dozens of hospitals, vaccination centres, majlis and clinics.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive is the country's largest to date. The health authorities aim to inoculate half the population by the end of the first quarter.

(L to R) - Emirati healthcare workers, Mouza Al Beshr, Khadija Al Nuaimi and Za,zam Al Naqbi at the Seha vaccination centre.

More than two thirds of people living in the UAE are willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, a new survey found.

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual study published by the communications company, said vaccine acceptance rates in the Emirates are among the highest in the world. The UAE part of the study was provided first to The National.

The company polled more than 33,000 people in 28 countries between October and November 2020.

It said 69 per cent of UAE residents and citizens are eager to be vaccinated.

The figure is higher than the global average of 64 per cent, and places the UAE 10th in terms of vaccine acceptance.

India leads the list with 80 per cent of people willing to receive a vaccine next year.

In the UAE, 39 per cent of people said they were willing to be vaccinated as soon as possible, while the remaining 30 per cent said they would prefer to wait six to 12 months.

In Saudi Arabia, 71 per cent of the respondents said they want to be vaccinated, with 43 per cent saying they would do it as soon as possible.

India, Brazil, Mexico, China and Thailand were the top five countries with vaccine acceptance rates ranging between 73 per cent and 80 per cent.

According to Statista, a German company specialising in market and consumer data, the UAE has one of the highest vaccine rates in the world. It trails only Israel and the Seychelles.

Experts said the UAE's high vaccination rate is directly responsible for the decline in new cases in recent weeks.

"The number of cases are steadily falling [over] the last two weeks," said Dr Umar Majid, a specialist in respiratory medicine at NMC Speciality Hospital, Al Ain.

"This clearly indicates the effect of vaccination that was made open to the public in December 2020."

It takes about two to three weeks to build immunity after vaccination, he said.

The declining number of new cases is the "first indication" the vaccination programme is starting to have an effect, Dr Majid said.

"However, we would have clear indications on effectiveness in the forthcoming days as more and more people get vaccinated."

Vaccination is critical in building immunity against the virus and could even eventually eliminate the disease, he said.

"Vaccinations would not only help to control the spread but also to eradicate the disease over a period of time."

Almost 76,000 doses of the vaccine were administered in the UAE on Monday. So far, more than 7.3 million vaccines have been administered since the nationwide campaign began in December 2020.

The Edelman study, which focused on the effects of the pandemic, also found that 75 per cent of people trusted their employer – a fall of three points over last year.

But almost three quarters of people, at 74 per cent, said they had either had their work hours reduced, or lost their jobs.

In the UAE, 80 per cent of respondents said they trusted the government – an increase of four points over last year.

This was followed by businesses at 67 per cent, non-government institutions at 65 per cent and the media at 56 per cent.