UAE approves China's Sinopharm vaccine for children 3-17
The decision followed clinical trials in June involving 900 children in Abu Dhabi, including members of the royal family.
The United Arab Emirates has approved the use of the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3-17, the Emirati government said Monday.
“The decision comes after clinical trials and extensive evaluations and is based on the emergency use authorization and local evaluations which are in line with the approved regulations,” tweeted the UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
The Khaleej Times reports that the UAE is the first country in the region to have carried out clinical trials of the vaccine on the under-17 age group, with 900 children taking part in the Sinopharm study in June. Among the participants were several children of Abu Dhabi’s royal family.
The Persian Gulf country has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates and had already approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12-15. More than 78% of the UAE's population of 9.2 million has received one vaccine dose and over 70% is fully vaccinated.
