#FactCheck: UAE is not providing vaccines to Indian expats' parents
Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been warned against a viral message claiming that elderly people on visit visas would soon be vaccinated against the coronavirus there, according to reports. The message had claimed that parents of Indian expatriates visiting them would be able to receive the vaccine in the country. Here are more details on this.
A spokesperson for the Indian Consulate in Dubai dismissed the message as a rumor. "We have no such information from local authorities here and currently, only UAE residents holding valid Emirates ID are eligible for vaccination. People should not believe in such information and avoid forwarding such stories to others," the official said, according to a report by Gulf News.
The message, which had been doing the rounds on WhatsApp, read, "Ladies and gentlemen, this link is for the Consulate General of India Dubai." "We spoke to them a couple of days ago about trying to arrange vaccine for our parents who are on visit visa...They said if we have enough number of people requesting us, then we can approach the government," it added.
Many Indians based in Dubai have said they would appreciate if such a decision is taken in the near future. Roshni Roy, whose parents are currently in Dubai on visit visas, told Gulf News, "I am eagerly waiting for the authorities to open vaccination for elderly visit visa holders." The UAE has registered nearly 5,50,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,637 deaths due to it.
Indians living abroad are worried to send their parents back to India as the country struggles to battle a ferocious second wave of the coronavirus. India has been reporting lakhs of new infections every day for the past few weeks amid an overburdened health system. The country's vaccination drive has also derailed - only 3% of the Indian population has been fully vaccinated.
