DOCTORS IN DUBAI CALL VACCINE’S ARRIVAL A GODSEND
▶ But medics say people should still take precautions to avoid infection
Medics in Dubai are welcoming the arrival of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
People began to be inoculated on Wednesday. Frontline workers and high-risk groups were given priority.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the second to be approved for use in the UAE after China’s Sinopharm.
Doctors here said their availability is a victory for the community and will save lives.
Dr Adel Alsisi, chief medical officer at Prime Hospital, said having options was a big advantage.
“In a few months we will see the efficacy and safety of the vaccine because millions of people will have it,” he said.
There will be a large, accurate pool of data about whether people have a high concentration of antibodies or any illness, he said.
“Everyone is just waiting for the virus to be [ eradicated]. We are lucky that we work in the UAE, which is constantly looking at new lines of treatment.”
Also critical is the fact that healthcare workers are being inoculated first, ensuring their safety.
“It is really very encouraging,” said Dr Saheer Sainalabdeen, respiratory medicine specialist at Medeor Hospital in Dubai.
“Taking the vaccine does not mean you will not get Covid. But for healthcare workers who are with patients all the time, it is reassuring to know you are protected.
“It will prevent complications like needing a ventilator, so that is a relief.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offers up to 95 per cent protection against Covid-19.
The first doses arrived in the UAE from Brussels on an Emirates cargo plane and vaccinations started almost immediately.
But Covid- 19 is still deadly and medics cautioned against complacency.
Dr Sainalabdeen said wearing masks and observing social distancing remained important. No vaccine was an ironclad guarantee against coronavirus, he said.
“As doctors, we treat anybody who comes into the hospital with fever and cough as a Covid patient. We are always taking precautions. Everyone must do the same.”
Dr Payal Modi, specialist microbiologist and chairwoman of infection control at NMC Royal in Dubai Investment Park, took the Sinopharm vaccine and was excited about the second vaccine.
“The whole world is waiting for the Pfizer vaccine, including the medical community,” she said. “We are lucky that we [Dubai] are getting the Pfizer vaccine.”
Dr Modi said people should not worry about which vaccine to get.
“When a vaccine is chosen at a country or at an emirate level, everything has already been discussed with the regulatory bodies,” she said.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is based on messenger RNA, or mRNA. It uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from Covid- 19 to instruct cells in the body to fight infection and build immunity.
Two injections 21 days apart are required and it must be stored at about minus 70°C.