Sinopharm Green Light for Children, 3 Yrs Plus
The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced the provision of the Sinopharm vaccine for the age group 3-17.
Until now the UAE had only provided Pfizer vaccines to only children aged 12 years and older.
The roll-out of the vaccine for this age group in the UAE is seen as an essential step in building herd immunity within the wider population.
The decision, according to a tweet sent by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), 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."
The Sinopharm "bridge study" had been carried out under the supervision of MoHAP, and in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the emirate’s public health provider. It had enrolled 900 children aged between three and 17 years old and was the first project in the Middle East and North Africa region designed to study young children’s immune response to being inoculated against Covid-19. Children of different nationalities were enrolled, administered Sinopharm vaccine doses, and closely monitored over the following weeks.
The DoH referred to the participating children and their families as ‘heroes’ in the UAE’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
