In April of this year, Deep Knowledge Group (DKG) published a list of the top 25 cities that have demonstrated the best response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
That list has now been updated, and expanded to 50 cities and Abu Dhabi still remains in the number one position globally.
To create the ‘Ranking of the Safest Cities during the COVID-19 Pandemic for the Second Quarter of 2021’ DKG analysed 114 key parameters across five broad categories, including healthcare management, vaccination rates, government efficiency, efficient health quarantine systems, and resilience of the economy. The survey evaluated both the individual key aspects and the overall efficacy of the holistic pandemic response.
Abu Dhabi edged out other notably safe cities in Singapore, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Dubai to take a deeply meaningful top spot on the list.
Much of the capital’s success story can be traced back to the fast, decisive and effective policy making by the Abu Dhabi leadership.
The city was praised for keeping one of the lowest mortality rates globally, and for its speed in setting up field hospitals, reaching the vulnerable, mass testing centres (so much so that Abu Dhabi is now a PCR test processing hub for other countries) and screening facilities, including drive-through options.
Abu Dhabi also spearheaded the research and development effort, not least in pioneering the world’s first Phase III trials of an inactivated viral vaccine.
The UAE currently leads the world in percentage of the population that have received two doses and is number one globally for doses per 100 people (in the table of countries with a population of over one million).
