Thousands of people are receiving Covid-19 vaccine doses at a new inoculation centre in Dubai. It was a busy first week at Barsha Hall, where 4,000 people can be vaccinated in a day. The centre offers the Pfizer BioNTech shot. It is the second-largest vaccination centre in the emirate and is operated by the Dubai Health Authority. Only One Central at the Dubai World Trade Centre is capable of delivering more injections on a daily basis. The number of people who visited the centre during Ramadan is encouraging, said Salah Al Bahri, Barsha Hall's operations manager. “We have had a minimal number of people not turning up for their appointment, which is a positive sign,” he said. “Even though it is Ramadan and people are fasting, they are sticking to the schedule. “We are only taking pre-booked appointments as we do not want any overlap between people just turning up as walk-ins. “This is a DHA-operated site so it has a similar operation to One Central and Al Twar health centre. “We are pushing to finish all vaccinations by the end of 2021, as per the government criteria, and we are on course to do so.” Barsha Hall has 20 check-in counters, 50 vaccination booths and five observation rooms. About 80 healthcare staff work at the site. Visitors can pre-book an appointment on the DHA app and then visit the centre to meet a nurse for a health check. Once eligibility is confirmed, the vaccine is administered and the patient is monitored for 10 minutes. Health officials in Dubai are encouraging people to book Covid-19 vaccinations throughout the month of Ramadan. Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sinopharm shots are being delivered at various clinics. Vaccination appointments were brought forward for those due to take the booster dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the period between the first and the second dose was reduced from 12 to eight weeks. Since March, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines can be administered to all people 16 years and above. Those aged 18 and above are eligible for the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. All GCC citizens with a valid national ID can also get vaccinated at any of the 13 DHA vaccination centres. There are several centres that offer the Sinopharm vaccine, including a clinic at Dubai Parks and Resorts that can vaccinate up to 5,000 people a day.
