UAE expects Covid-19 vaccine by end of 2020 or early 2021

The UAE has started the phase 3 clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine, and it is expected to be available by the end of 2020 or early 2021, authorities said on Wednesday.

This clinical trial operation is part of the country's partnership with China. It will be the world's first inactivated Covid-19 vaccine that will enter the third phase of trials.

An agreement was recently signed between the Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and Group 42 (G42), an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company. G42 will lead the clinical trial operations in the UAE under the supervision of health authorities in Abu Dhabi.

Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE health sector, on Wednesday explained how a vaccine's trial goes before it enters large-scale production and becomes available to all.

Clinical trials are divided into three stages. The first stage ensures that the vaccine is safe, while the second phase assesses the viability of the vaccine on a small number of people.

When the vaccine reaches the third phase, its impact is evaluated on a larger number of people.

During the first and second phase of clinical trials conducted in China, the vaccine's safety was demonstrated, with no serious adverse reactions recorded, the Department of Health Abu Dhabi said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Volunteers in a number of hospitals across the country will be participating in the phase 3 trials, the DoH added.