Medics in the United Arab Emirates had advised residents to use thick cloth or double masks to protect them from new, more virulent strains of COVID-19 and slow spread of the coronavirus.
In a report, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that wearing tightly fitted masks could offer more protection against potential coronavirus transmission and exposure. In particular, the study compared four options: no mask at all, wearing a lightly fitted surgical mask, a cloth mask, or a cloth-and-surgical-mask combination.
New research said exposure to potentially infectious aerosols decreased by about 95 percent when a cloth mask was worn over a surgical mask, a practice also known as double-masking, close to the face. Doctors in the UAE believe that this option provides better air filtration and can protect better against respiratory droplets from people during a conversation.
A drive-through Covid-19 vaccination centre has opened in Abu Dhabi. It is located in Burjeel Medical City’s new centre in Mohamed Bin Zayed City.
The centre can accommodate up to 700 people per day and can vaccinate around 60 people per hour. It takes a maximum of 20 minutes to complete the entire vaccination process at the centre.
The new centre will offer Covid-19 vaccines to all categories of residents. All Abu Dhabi citizens and residents 16 years and above, especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases, are eligible to receive the vaccine.