The UAE took first place for its COVID-19 resilience in the Pandemic Resilience Index 2022

The UAE ranked first in the world for its COVID-19 response and resilience, according to the Pandemic Resilience Index 2022. The research was conducted by the US-based advocacy group Consumer Choice Centre. Cyprus, Bahrain, and Israel took the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places, respectively. A total of 40 countries were ranked based on their health care system’s resilience to COVID-19, as well as their readiness levels for tackling similar crises.

The Pandemic Resilience Index 2022 looked at a variety of key factors, including mass testing initiatives, booster shot distribution programmes, vaccination drives, and critical care bed capacity.

The UAE was the pioneer for booster shot distribution programme rollout. Other countries, such as Spain, Ukraine, Canada, and Australia, spent five additional months launching similar programmes.

The Consumer Choice Centre confirmed that relative changes in testing programmes were also considered when compiling the index. The UAE was among the top five states to have increased their testing. Additionally, the UAE has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates with approximately 42% of its population, or 10 million people, having already been administered booster doses.

The UAE also ranked number one for COVID Resilience by Bloomberg. The research ranked 53 countries using 12 indicators, such as reopening travel, healthcare quality, vaccination coverage, and virus mortality rates. The research compared how the world’s largest economies responded to the same threat. The success of the UAE is based on a specific approach, which includes a combination of consistent openness to travel coupled with an almost fully vaccinated population.

The UAE received more than six million visitors during the first 11 months of 2021, and Dubai has once again become one of the largest tourist destinations in the world, despite numerous travel restrictions imposed by foreign countries.

According to Tripadvisor’s 2022 Travellers’ Choice Awards, Dubai managed to surpass London, Cancun, Bali, Crete, Rome, and Paris as the most popular holiday and tourism destinations for 2022 based on positive reviews across all travel sectors.