Covid vaccine: UAE urges high-risk people to take booster 3 months after second shot


Shuchita Gautam
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE has recommended that high-risk people who have been fully vaccinated may receive their booster dose three months after taking their second shot of a Covid-19 vaccine.

For all others, there should be a gap of six months between the second shot and the booster.

The government announced the policy at the Covid-19 weekly briefing on Tuesday.

A booster shot after two doses of a vaccine increases immunity against the virus.

Health officials also stressed the importance of receiving appropriate treatment for Covid-19.

They said this includes sotrovimab, an antiviral drug that can save lives.

“The medicine can be prescribed to people above 12 years. It is very important for people who may face complications,” said Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, acting executive director of External Therapeutic Services.

“In 99 per cent of the cases, patients made a full recovery in just 14 days and only 20 per cent needed treatment in the hospitals.

“So far, 13,000 people have received the drug.”

She advised everyone to be vaccinated.

“Vaccines are the most important interventions in controlling the spread of the virus. Boosters can enhance immunity, reduce hospital admissions, and people do not need breathing devices.

“Getting tested regularly is important. Make it a habit,” she said.

She also restated the safety precautions that citizens and residents must follow when travelling abroad.

Dr Al Ghaithi urged travellers to be fully vaccinated before travelling. Citizens should register on the Twajudi service before they travel and report to the nearest UAE embassy if they become infected with the coronavirus in another country.

She said travellers must look into the prevalence of Covid-19 at their destination, and practise with all precautionary measures followed in the UAE, such as mask-wearing, physical distancing and using sanitiser, even if such measures are not mandated in the country they are visiting.

Getting health insurance that covers Covid-19 before embarking on the trip is also advised, she said.



In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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Results

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)

5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

Ponti

Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
INVESTMENT PLEDGES

Cartlow: $13.4m

Rabbitmart: $14m

Smileneo: $5.8m

Soum: $4m

imVentures: $100m

Plug and Play: $25m

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

Tales of Yusuf Tadros

Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)

Hoopoe

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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

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Florida: The critical Sunshine State

Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991. 

Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.

In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.

Updated: August 04, 2021, 10:17 AM`