Covid vaccine UAE: 55,537 doses administered in 24 hours

The UAE has administered 55,537 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours.

The country's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the total doses administered now stands at 6.46 million. This takes the rate of doses per 100 people to 65.35.

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The United States, India, Japan and Australia have launched a joint drive to ramp up Covid-19 vaccine supply in Asia in the first-ever summit of the four democracies on Friday.

US officials said the so-called "Quad" nations have agreed to work together to produce up to one billion vaccine doses by 2022, as the world seeks to turn the page on the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plan would see pharmaceutical hub India manufacturing the single-dose vaccine from US-based Johnson & Johnson backed by financial support from Japan, with Australia taking charge of shipments.

Meanwhile, Novavax Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine was found to be 96 per cent effective in preventing cases caused by the original coronavirus in a late-stage trial conducted in the UK, the company said on Thursday, moving it a step closer to regulatory approval.

There were no cases of severe illness or deaths among those who got the jab, in a sign that it could stop the worse effects of new variants that have cropped up.