Our Correspondent
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, received the COVID-19 vaccine on November 3.
In a tweet after receiving the vaccine, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said, “We wish everyone safety and great health, and we are proud of our teams who have worked relentlessly to make the vaccine available in the UAE. The future will always be better in the UAE.”
Other UAE officials who received the vaccine in recent days are Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, President of the UAE Football Association; Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid expressed his pride in taking part in the trial vaccine, hailing the UAE’s efficient response to the pandemic, its support of international vaccine efforts, and for its leading healthcare sector.
The Martyrs’ Families’ Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, meanwhile, has launched a campaign to vaccinate the families of martyrs with the vaccine, in cooperation with the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi.
Volunteers for Phase-III trials
Volunteers in the UAE’s COVID-19 vaccine trials have to undergo PCR tests every two weeks after they complete the final vaccine assessment. There are more than 31,000 volunteers in the UAE for the Phase III trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm China National Biotec Group. The trials began on July 16, and registrations closed at the end of August.
According to the developers, the vaccine had successfully generated COVID-19 antibodies in more than a 1,000 volunteers in the first two stages of trials in China, which saw two doses delivered about three weeks apart. Results are still pending for the Phase III trials in the UAE, but officials have revealed that preliminary results showed no major side effects, including in 1,000 volunteers with chronic diseases. Following this, on September 15, the UAE leadership granted emergency approval for the use of the vaccine on frontline workers.
The Sinopharm vaccine is being tested in Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan too. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi also announced that it will launch Phase III tests for a COVID-19 vaccine developed in Russia. Named Sputnik V, the vaccine is already undergoing large-scale trials in Russia at the moment.
