Ajman Police officers, staff get Covid-19 jab

Ajman - Police officers are among the frontliners who have been receiving the vaccine as part of its emergency use in the country.

Officers and staff of the Ajman Police have started receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The Ajman Police shared photos of their officers as they took the jab, which had been approved for emergency use in the country.

“The Ajman Police support the health of its employees by providing them with the new Covid-19 vaccine,” they tweeted.

Lt-Col Abdullah Ali Alwan, deputy director of the human resources department at Ajman Police General Command, said giving the vaccine free of charge is part of their efforts to protect their frontliners from Covid-19.

Carried out at the police’s headquarters, the vaccination is currently optional for employees, Lt-Col Alwan explained.

The vaccine is given in two doses, two weeks apart, he added. Those who were vaccinated will be undergoing follow-up health checks.

Lt-Col Bin Hindi of Ajman Police was among those who took the shot. “Though the vaccine was optional, I decided to take it to contribute to the study and also to protect myself and my family,” he said.

“Since Covid-19 struck, we have been taking all the necessary precautions. I took a lot of vitamin C and other kinds of vitamins. Now that we have this vaccine, which is expected to be effective, I am hoping that it would work to limit the spread of the virus that had already claimed countless lives,” he told Khaleej Times.

Clinical trials

The Covid-19 jab that is now being administered to frontliners across the country is the vaccine that has been developed by pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm CNBG. It is currently in the third and final stage of clinical trials in the UAE and in three other Arab countries.

The trials were rolled out in the Emirates in July, with over 31,000 volunteers participating in just six weeks. Authorities and health experts have said that the vaccine is safe and effective. The side effects reported so far have been “mild and expected, like any other vaccine”.

After the successful trials on two strains of the vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) on September 14 approved its use for workers and professionals who are at highest risk of contracting the virus.

Police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers, aviation sector workers and judicial officials are among the people who have been receiving the Covid-19 vaccine as part of its emergency use in the country.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Ajman