Officials from the United Arab Emirates have approved the use of the Chinese Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine for children in the country aged three to 17 years after clinical trials and extensive evaluations of more than 900 young kids, authorities said.
They cited the health ministry which touted the decision as being a result of successful trials last June without providing further details. Last month, authorities said they would continue to monitor the immune response among the children to determine if there are any severe side effects, Reuters reported.
Approval of Sinopharm Vaccine
In May, the UAE approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use among children aged 12 to 15 years. Vaccination within Dubai, the second-largest member of the UAE federation, began inoculating the said age group this month.
One of the highest vaccination rates in the world is recorded in the UAE, which documented thousands of new coronavirus infections last month. Under a joint venture between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi-abused technology company, Group 42 led Phase III clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine and began its manufacture.
Authorities said that they will announce the results of the trials once the data are readily available. About 80% of the UAE's roughly 10 million population have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Sunday. This comes after officials announced in May that they would offer a booster shot to people who received the Sinopharm vaccine after six months from their two-dose treatment. The decision comes amid doubts about the vaccine's antibody response and efficacy.
The UAE's approval of the Sinopharm vaccine comes after China granted emergency approval to its vaccine for residents below 18 years of age in July. The approval was made as Beijing rushed to gain herd immunity within its region, the South China Morning Post reported.
Recently, officials also deliberated extending the flight suspension for Pakistan to go beyond the set date of August 7 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The initial suspension was announced last month by Emirates and Etihad. The statement said flight operations from South Asian countries will remain suspended until the first week of August.
Suspension of Flight Operations
But on Wednesday, the air carrier announced the extension of the suspension of flight operations from India and Pakistan until "further notice." In a statement, the carrier said the decision came after the latest UAE Government directives. However, the company noted the situation was still developing which made the announcements ever-changing.
Emirates also announced its suspension of incoming scheduled passenger flights from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to the UAE until August 7 amid the health crisis. Authorities will review any potential extension of the suspension.
While UAE airlines are not allowed to carry passengers from the affected countries into the UAE, some nationals, diplomats, official delegations, and Golden Visa holders are exempted from the rule. These approved individuals will be required to undergo acceptance and quarantine conditions.
Cargo flights in both directions will continue to operate without any restrictions, Etihad said in a statement. Officials said they were working closely with impacted guests to notify them of the changes to their flight schedules and itineraries, Tribune reported.
