Three in four UAE residents believe vaccines will bring normality back this year


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Three quarters of people in the UAE believe vaccines will bring normality back within a year, a survey showed.

Keeping family safe, little evidence of major side effects and the safety of the vaccine doses were among the reasons people chose to get inoculated.

It also revealed how the public has confidence in the government's vaccination drive.

The findings were part of a survey by YouGov and commissioned by the UAE's G42 Healthcare, which helped to conduct clinical vaccine trials and supported the distribution of the Sinopharm shot, to assess attitudes to the UAE vaccination campaign.

This independent public survey demonstrates the collective will of the UAE public to get vaccinated

About 37 per cent of respondents were motivated to take the vaccine as a national duty, while 33 per cent said they would vaccinate as a social duty, contributing as global citizens.

“This independent public survey demonstrates the collective will of the UAE public to get vaccinated, and why it is so important to undertake the clinical trials and scientific studies here in the UAE in association with UAE health authorities," said G42 Healthcare chief executive Ashish Koshy.

“The results show that we have an informed public that is making choices based on science, their personal considerations, and their contribution to their communities and society. We are truly encouraged and will continue our collaborative efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The UAE has administered more than five million doses since the inoculation campaign began, putting the country among the world leaders in the race to vaccinate its residents.

Safety is the top factor when opting for a vaccine, the survey found, with 52 per cent saying safety and efficacy were the key motivators to take the vaccination.

This was followed by lack of any major side effects, a close second with 50 per cent.

Responsibility to keep family safe and protection against new variants of the virus were tied at 47 per cent, while 46 per cent of respondents said free availability of the vaccine at several locations was among the top five reasons why they would choose to get vaccinated.

More than 80 per cent of the respondents had the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine, the survey found – reinforcing the ongoing successful implementation of the national vaccination programme in the UAE at a rate of more than 51.11 doses per 100 people.

Vaccines from Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech are licensed for widespread use in the UAE, while Russia's Sputnik V is authorised for emergency use.

The survey questioned 1,011 respondents from the UAE, representing the nation's demographic composition, in an attempt to assess perceptions, individual's expectations and considerations on taking the Covid-19 vaccine.

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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D 
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India

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Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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