UAE Covid vaccine: Sinopharm efficacy report second major stamp of approval

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is the second major stamp of approval for China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.

A study based on trials conducted in countries including the UAE and Bahrain showed more than 70 per cent efficacy against symptomatic cases after two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had approved the vaccine for emergency use.

According to the WHO, a large multi-country Phase 3 trial has shown that two doses of the vaccine, administered at an interval of 21 days, have an efficacy of 79 per cent against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccine efficacy against hospitalisation was 79 per cent.

The UAE has for long believed in the jab, approving it for emergency use for frontline workers in September 2020.

The country had launched phase 3 trials of the vaccine in July 2020. Tens of thousands of volunteers from over 120 nationalities took the jab within weeks.

According to the UAE’s National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), the vaccine showed 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe Covid-19 infections.

Its overall efficacy rate is 86 per cent, according to experts in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE recently approved booster shots of the Sinopharm vaccine six months after residents receive their second dose.

The country will prioritise senior citizens and residents with chronic diseases for the shot. The additional dose helps boost immunity and produce antibodies to ward off the virus.

The UAE is number one in the world when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination rates.

As on May 26, the country has administered 12.41 million shots, taking the rate of doses to 125.53 per 100 people.