China, UAE see positive results in Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine trials

China and the UAE have obtained some positive results of Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson after Abu Dhabi granted emergency approval to a vaccine candidate. The emergency approval for the coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Sinopharm, a Chinese company, was granted just six weeks into human trials. 

On September 14, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that the vaccine will be available for the frontline workers who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. The announcement comes amid another spike in coronavirus cases in the Arab state as it reported the biggest single-day surge with 1,007 new cases.

“The UAE authorizes the emergency use of the Covid19 vaccine for members of the first line of defense, who are most at risk of catching Covid19, protecting them from any danger taht they may be exposed due to the nature of their work,” read the statement.

The agency said that 31,000 volunteers representing 125 nationalities have participated in the clinical trials in less than six weeks and the results are moving on the “right path, with all tests being successful so far.” In a series of tweets, NCEMA said that the reported side effects have been mild and expected and no severe side effects have been encountered.

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'Encouraging results'

It stressed that the initial results in the ongoing trials are encouraging in terms of antibody production and the emergency approval was given after meeting criteria set for this specific purpose. It added that the health authorities have followed all procedures to control the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine in coordination with the vaccine developers.

Earlier in September, China put its COVID-19 vaccine candidates on display for the first time as countries race for developing a safe vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection. The Chinese government has high hopes from two vaccine candidates produced by Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm and both were put on a show at China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing.

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