UAE Health Minister receives first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

AbdulRahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, has received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday.

The minister received the jab in line with the Ministry of Health and Prevention's (Mohap) move to administer the vaccine to frontline health workers, who are the higher risk of contracting the virus.

"The country seeks to protect people from any dangers that they may face due to the nature of their work," said Al Owais. "Positive results of clinical trials are encouraging ... The vaccine is safe and effective. It is compatible with the laws and regulations that allow a faster review of licensing procedures," he added.

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Earlier, Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, Chair of the National Clinical Committee for Covid-19 and Principal Investigator of the third phase of clinical trials of the inactive vaccine, had said the clinical trials are "moving on the right path, with all tests being successful so far". "In less than six weeks since the study began, 31,000 volunteers representing 125 nationalities have participated in the clinical trials. The side effects which have been reported so far are mild and expected, like any other vaccine, and no severe side effects have been encountered," she said.

Officials said the vaccine's evaluation was done "under a licence for emergency and limited use, considering target groups, product characteristics, clinical studies data, and all relevant available scientific evidence". "The health authorities have followed all procedures to control the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine, in coordination with the vaccine's creators," said Dr Al Kaabi.

Phase III clinical trial of the Covid-19 inactivated vaccine was rolled out in Abu Dhabi on July 16.

nandini@khaleejtimes.com