Filipinos who are currently working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can avail themselves of free COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccination being offered by the host government to all local residents to stem the spread of the disease.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn Quintana said the Department of Health (DOH) – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre are encouraging the public to get Sinopharm vaccine for free by booking an appointment with the Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA).
Administered in two doses 21 days apart, the Sinopharm vaccine was earlier declared by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) as 86 percent effective.
Last month, Dubai also announced the rollout of the free Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in addition to the free Sinopharm vaccine rollout UAE-wide.
Quintana called on the hundreds of Filipinos in the UAE to remain vigilant and diligent in taking COVID-19 precautions such as proper hand washing and social distancing and continue to support the measures and efforts of the host country in curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
On January 14, 2020, the Philippine government included travelers from the UAE and Hungary in the list of travelers from 30 other countries who are temporarily barred from entering the Philippines to prevent the spread of the more infectious COVID-19 variant.
According to the travel restrictions issued by Malacanang, the imposition of a travel ban on the two countries will take effect starting 12:01 a.m. on January 17 until January 31.
The inclusion of the UAE in the list of restricted countries came shortly after a 27-year-old Filipino national who visited Dubai on December 27, 2020 has tested positive for the COVID variant upon his return in Manila on January 7, 2021.