COVID-19: 60% of Abu Dhabi private education staff vaccinated

From January 17 to 26, Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) launched the vaccination drive across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, resulting in a 60 per cent uptake.

The campaign has been organised in collaboration with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Public Health Center.

The emirate’s private and charter schoolteachers, as well as administration and operations staff have been taking part, along with ADEK employees and their families.

More than 400 ADEK team members and their immediate relatives received their first dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 injection at ADEK headquarters before encouraging peers in the education sector to follow suit.

The vaccination drive was open to 222 private and charter establishments in Abu Dhabi.

Each participating school was designated a day to conduct vaccinations on campus, with professional health workers administering vaccinations to approximately 15,000 staff members

The initiative is part of the continued nationwide efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and ensure optimal health and safety within the school community and across wider society.

"Our upmost priority is to ensure the health and safety of our education and school community, and to support the government’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19," said Ayesha Al Blooshi, ADEK COVID-19 Incident Management Team Lead.

"This is our national duty, and our community has demonstrated unwavering support for the vaccination drive with 60 per cent uptake across eligible schools and personnel. We applaud our stakeholders’ commitment to aid the UAE’s vaccination agenda in support of a return to normal life."

Following their first dose, all school staff and teachers were briefed and provided with specific dates for their second shot.