Covid-19 vaccination in UAE: Dubai inoculates more than 20,000 taxi and bus drivers

Nearly 40,000 vaccine shots administered to RTA employees since January 19

A RTA taxi driver receives Covid-19 vaccine. Courtesy: RTA

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority vaccinated its entire fleet of eligible taxi and bus drivers.

The vaccine was administered to more than 20,000 drivers, RTA said.

Two vaccination centres were set up with the help of Dubai Health Authority.

The first centre has been inoculating taxi and bus drivers since January 19, and the second one was set up on February 3 for other employees.

Nearly 40,000 vaccine shots were given to drivers, front-end staff, metro and tram operators, parking inspectors and other RTA employees along with their family members, said Nada Jasim, director of safety, risk, regulation and planning, strategy and corporate governance sector at RTA.

The campaign also covered school bus drivers, bike delivery riders and limo drivers who are not on the agency’s payroll, she said.

The two centres vaccinate 1,200 to 1,500 people daily.

The UAE has achieved its target of vaccinating half of the country’s population, Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention said on Tuesday.

Mr Al Owais said at the weekly Covid-19 briefing that 52.46 per cent of the UAE’s population had been immunised.

This includes 70.21 per cent of elderly people and those in the vulnerable category.

The Emirates is on track to meet its objective to immunise 100 per cent of its eligible population this year, he said.

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