The Emirates claims that the New COVID-19 strains are spreading more quickly, but that vaccines are safe and effectively helping its citizens.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, a spokesman for the UAE’s health sector, said at a routine Covid-19 briefing that after frequent follow-ups and research on the virus, health officials have discovered that new mutations of the virus are to blame for the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 cases reported by the World Health Organization. The researchers have noticed that the mutated strains spread faster and are more transmissible and infectious, but that this does not appear to cause more serious infection, a higher death rate, or any other clinical manifestation, according to her.

“The UAE has been monitoring changes and developments in the virus since the global arrival of new strains began, and a national team was established to study the tracking of mutated strains in collaboration with all health authorities. “The team evaluates the situation on a regular basis and considers proposals in this regard,” Al Hosani explained. She went on to say that the Ministry of Health and Prevention, in collaboration with partner health agencies, higher education institutions, and public health laboratories, was conducting genetic studies to track mutations in the country’s strains.