UAE approves emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine

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The UAE has announced plans to start administering its COVID-19 vaccine for emergency cases on a limited basis.

During a media briefing on Monday, senior government officials announced that the first recipients would be frontline workers who come into regular contact with patients.

They also added the vaccine's emergency approval for use is completely aligned with all health and safety protocols as well as regulations.

The UAE's Minister of Health and Prevention, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, said the phase III clinical trials are on the right track, and the results are encouraging in terms of generating antibodies to the virus.

In less than six weeks since the study began, 31,000 volunteers representing 125 nationalities have participated in the trials.

The vaccine has also been tested successfully on 1,000 volunteers suffering from chronic diseases.

"The side effects which have been reported so far are mild and expected (such as sore throat), like any other vaccine, and no severe side effects have been encountered," explained Dr. Nawal Al-Kaabi, Chairperson of the National Clinical Committee for Coronavirus, and the principal investigator for the third phase of clinical trials of the inactive vaccine.

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