DUBAI: The UAE announced on Sunday that booster shots for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for all adults aged 18 and above. 

According to UAE health sector spokesman Farida Al Hosani, people in the country can and should take the additional shot six months after their second dose of the vaccine. 

The announcement, made during the latest government media briefing, replaces a previous directive which allowed only some at-risk residents to receive the booster jabs. 

Al Hosani also highlighted that 100 percent of all eligible residents have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. She clarified that this does not mean that everyone is vaccinated since the country’s population keeps changing, many students are still waiting to receive their shots and certain individuals cannot receive the vaccine for medical reasons. 

The official spokesperson of the UAE’s health sector said the authorities were monitoring all information related to the new omicron variant, and will take appropriate action when necessary.

This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) said there were major genetic mutations that may affect the characteristics of the COVID-19 virus, allowing it to spread at a faster pace than previous mutations. 

Much the world, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran and the US, have implemented travel restrictions and suspended flights to and from several southern African countries in response to warnings over the transmissibility of omicron. 

Meanwhile, Israel and Japan barred all new foreign arrivals by shutting their borders completely.