(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) ABU DHABI, 8th August, 2020 (WAM) -- A UAE newspaper has said that it is a matter of pride for the nation that the world's first Phase III trials of an inactivated vaccine for COVID-19 being held in the UAE have reached a major milestone with over 5,000 volunteers having received their first vaccination.
"People of over 80 nationalities volunteering to participate reflects the solid unity and commitment that reigns among the diverse community," said Gulf Today in an editorial on Saturday, adding that the Emirati leadership has been doing its best to overcome the pandemic through a global collaborative effort.
The 5,000 milestone was reached when the vaccination was given in the presence of Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi, Acting Under-Secretary of Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, at the recently developed purpose-built walk-in registration, screening and testing centre at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC.
Dr. Al Kaabi himself was the second participant in the vaccination programme and received his second shot this week. The thousands of volunteers who have now been vaccinated represent the whole range of nationalities and background in the UAE of all ages between 18 and 60.
The ongoing trials are a continuing part of a series of national initiatives to both foster population health and to enhance the UAE's medical research and development capabilities, including the local capacity to manufacture the vaccine.
"The trials process is being conducted following the international guidelines stipulated by the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the United States Food and Drug Administration, USFDA," added the editorial comment.
The Phase III clinical trials follow the success of Phase I and Phase II trials conducted by Sinopharm in China, which resulted in 100 percent of the volunteers generating antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after two doses in 28 days.
The positive developments in the search for a vaccine should not be a reason for the public to let their guard down.
The paper quoted Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, as saying that there were many positive indicators recorded during the recent period, such as high recovery rates and low infection rates, in addition to not recording deaths for consecutive days.
However, as he stressed, these positives do not mean that the challenge presented by COVID-19 has ended, as the experiences of other countries indicate that any negligence in the application of preventive measures, even if only by a small percentage, can have major consequences.
"The entire community needs to keep this important point in mind as various sectors reopen steadily," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
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