By Syed Shayaan Bakht, Gulf Today
The UAE approved the use of a vaccine produced by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm for COVID-19. The UAE health ministry said the vaccine was 86% effective according to analysis of third-phase trials.
The Abu Dhabi health authority (Seha) said that residents in the emirate have the option of booking an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
It urged people to call 80050 and book an appointment for the vaccination or register on the Seha website: https://www.seha.ae/
The centre was swamped with calls following the announcement on the vaccine's efficacy.
Dubai-Covid The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.
Seha also urged members of the public to get the flu vaccine.
It said on its social platform, “The flu vaccine protects you, protects your community, and eases the pressure on healthcare facilities - especially during this time. Call 80050 and book an appointment for your flu vaccination today.”
On the other hand, Dr Jamal Al Kaabi comments on the process of reviewing measures to combat COVID-19 in Abu Dhabi as the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee for the COVID-19 Pandemic works with local authorities to evaluate the resumption of activities across all sectors.
The potential easing of some measures may come with additional precautionary requirements, such as further testing for those it applies to. Details of each change will be announced on a case-by-case basis in due course.
Two vaccines have undergone third-phase trials in the UAE, the Sinopharm project and Russia's Sputnik-V, named after the Soviet-era satellite.
In November, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received an experimental coronavirus vaccine. UAE ministers and top officials also took part in the trials.
The #4Humanity phase III trials have included 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities in the UAE alone. The EUA vaccination programme has effectively safeguarded the UAE frontline workers. MOHAP's official registration of Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated COVID-19 vaccine leads the way in comprehensively protecting the population and responsibly opening the economy.
###
