Frontline aviation staff to get priority in Emirates airline vaccination drive
Cabin crew and operationally focussed staff to get jabs on priority basis
Dubai: Emirates airline has rolled out a COVID-19 vaccination programme for its “substantial” UAE-based workforce in coordination with Dubai Health Authority and Ministry of Health and Prevention. The inoculation drive began Monday morning (January 18), with priority being placed on the frontline aviation workforce, including cabin crew, flight deck and other operationally focused roles.
Emirates is making both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines accessible to its employees at various company-operated locations across the country.
Options are there
Inoculation appointments will run 12 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure as many essential aviation staff as possible can get the vaccine, said Emirates in a statement. “Like all citizens and residents, Emirates Group employees in the UAE can also opt to get vaccinated at government designated medical centres and clinics.”
The Emirates Group's employee base, compared to March 31, dropped by 24 per cent to an overall count of 81,334 as of September 30.
All out
According to the data compiled by an Oxford University-based research website, the UAE is ranked second highest in the world for vaccination rates, with over 19.04 doses administrated for every 100 people, and close to 1.9 million vaccinations have been given to citizens and residents since their rollout in December.
The UAE is also on track to inoculate over 50 per cent of its population by the end of March.