Foreign
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has authorised a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine for general use, saying that phase-3 trials showed that it was 86 per cent effective.
The vaccine, developed by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, was approved only for emergency use in the UAE in September to protect frontline workers.
The UAE’s Health Ministry said it had reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s analysis of the trials, which shows the vaccine to be 86 per cent effective against COVID-19 infections, according to a statement on the official WAM news agency.
It said that the phase-3 trials involved 31,000 volunteers from 125 nationalities in the UAE.
“The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” the ministry said.
Senior UAE officials, including Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum and Foreign Minister Abdullah Zayed, had received shots from the vaccine.
The UAE has recorded a total of 178,837 COVID-19 infections, including 596 related deaths. (dpa/NAN)
– Dec. 9, 2020 @ 13:31 GMT |
Tags: UAE backs Chinese COVID-19 vaccine as 86% effective
