UAE doctors urge uptake of COVID-19 booster shot after Omicron variant discovery

UAE doctors urge uptake of COVID-19 booster shot after Omicron variant discovery

Doctors in the United Arab Emirates have urged residents to get their COVID-19 booster jab after the first case of the Omicron variant was discovered in the country.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Dr Azeem Abdul Salam Mohamad, a specialist in Internal Medicine at Bareen International Hospital at MBZ City, said: “COVID-19 booster shots raise the antibody levels and offer both longer term protection and stronger immune response against COVID-19 variants.

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“Emergence of new variants like B .1.1.529 or Omicron reiterates the importance of booster shots to maintain immunity.”

It is recommended that all individuals above the age of 18 years should take booster shot after 6 months of second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the doctor said.“Studies have shown that protection against COVID-19 from mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna may last longer after the booster dose than after original two shot regimen.”“The importance of booster shots become significant in view of the finding that there were no serious cases caused by variants among vaccinated people.”The UAE’s Ministry of Health detected on Wednesday the first case of the Omicron variant in the country, state news agency WAM reported.

The new variant was identified in an African