SOCOTRA, Yemen — The United Arab Emirates, represented by its humanitarian arm, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), dispatched a shipment of 60,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Yemen's Socotra governorate to support the local efforts aimed at addressing the pandemic.

The ERC is currently coordinating with health authorities in Socotra to organize a free vaccination campaign for all residents at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Hospital.

The shipment aims to protect vulnerable people, elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases in Socotra, making it the first Yemeni governorate to offer vaccines to its residents.

It is also part of the UAE’s global efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, in light of its leading international humanitarian role.

The provision of vaccines to Socotra’s residents, which coincides with a related national campaign, underscores the UAE’s keenness to assist the Yemeni people in humanitarian and development areas and will help curb the spread of the pandemic and enable the governorate to achieve recovery.

The health and humanitarian support for Socotra’s residents from the UAE also reflects its overall approach to supporting Yemenis.

The country has been supporting the Yemeni people, most notably Socotra’s residents, in a variety of areas, most notably the health sector. Under this framework, the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed hospital was established in Socotra in 2012 to provide adequate health services.

The UAE’s health and humanitarian initiative also coincides with the work of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to provide residents with basic services. — WAM