The photo has been used for illustrative purposes only.

Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) has announced its collaboration with the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi, G42 Healthcare, a subsidiary of Group 42, an Abu Dhabi-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud Computing company, and Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm CNBG, the developer of the vaccine, are conducting new trials for the third phase of the inactive vaccine for COVID-19.

The development of the vaccine is part of the UAE’s wise leadership’s commitment to overcome the pandemic through a global collaborative effort.

Abu Dhabi has joined international efforts to find a vaccine, underscoring the government’s focus on identifying a potential cure to one of mankind’s biggest challenges of the 21st Century.

Dr Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Acting Undersecretary, Department of Health — Abu Dhabi commented: “The UAE is a beacon of humanity, and home to a very diverse community. These elements have made the UAE one of the most important places to conduct the trial and is aligned with our leadership’s key role in addressing the global pandemic’s effects in many corners of the world.

“I am very pleased with the response from the UAE community in joining together to overcome the virus. A large number of volunteers, consisting of 20 different nationalities, have come forward to be part of the clinical trials. This will help demonstrate that the trials have a high chance of efficacy and show the vaccine’s effects across a wide range of demographics.” he added.

Volunteers will undergo a medical evaluation of their current health to determine their eligibility for the trials according to global health policies and study guidelines. Existing conditions or chronic diseases may exclude volunteers entirely from the trial programme. Following the clearance of the volunteer’s health, the first dose of the vaccine is administered at one of the available locations.

Volunteers will be intensively monitored for approximately 42 days, requiring a minimum of 17 visits to the testing center.

During this time, the individual will be required to not travel outside the country and will need to have easy access to the clinics. After this period, periodic follow ups will be conducted via teleconsultation for up to 6 months.

Hamad Al Balushi, a citizen of the UAE has expressed his joy in being one of the first successful volunteers chosen to undergo the vaccine’s trial. He hopes that the entire process is highly successful to benefit both the UAE and global communities. Hamad has expressed his gratitude to SEHA and the entire team involved, and prays for their success.