UAE residents and citizens between the ages of 3 and 17 can now receive the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine in case of emergency.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) approved the use of the Chinese-made vaccine on Monday, state news agency WAM reported.
It comes following successful trials, which monitored the immune response to the vaccine in 900 children of different nationalities.
The UAE was the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to conduct a study of the vaccine’s effectiveness for this age group. Other vaccine manufacturing countries, such as China, the United States, United Kingdom and India, have also begun conducting clinical trials for this group over the past few months.
The UAE’s overall efforts in combatting the pandemic have been commended on an international scale and the country ranks among the highest vaccine rates globally, with around 71 percent of its population vaccinated, compared to just over 14 percent of the global population inoculated against Covid-19.
Sinopharm, a Chinese developed vaccine, has been widely distributed in the UAE after successful trials. In March, the UAE announced they would begin manufacturing Hayat-Vax, the first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine in the region through a partnership with China to make millions of doses of its state-backed Sinopharm vaccine.
A newly-created joint venture between Sinopharm CNBG and Abu Dhabi-based G42 aims to produce up to 200 million doses annually at a new plant that will become operational this year.
The UAE reported its lowest number of new Covid-19 cases this year in July. Figures reveal there were just over 47,900 cases confirmed last month – an average of around 1,540 per day – down from the previous low of 50,500 revealed in May.
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