Coronavirus: 5,000 Abu Dhabi volunteers register for vaccine trial in just 24 hours

The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi has announced the registration of 5,000 volunteers in Abu Dhabi for the third phase of clinical trials for an inactivated Covid-19 vaccine.

The remarkable tally comes just 24 hours after the launch of the registration website http://4humanity.ae on Thursday evening.

Volunteers need to submit their details and contact information to the organisers of this historic initiative.

Emiratis and residents of all nationalities aged between 18 and 60 are eligible to take part in the trials if considered suitable after a medical check-up.

A special hotline, 02 819 1111, has also been created for all volunteers signing up for the trials.

Those volunteering must live in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. They should be in good health, not suffering from chronic illnesses and should have no history of Covid-19 infection.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi was the first person given the Phase III inactivated vaccine for Covid-19.

The trials are the result of a partnership between Abu Dhabi based G42 Healthcare, currently at the forefront of the battle against Covid-19 in the UAE, and Sinopharm CNBG, the world's sixth largest vaccine manufacturer.

The trials are being operated by health practitioners from Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), who are operating facilities at five of their sites in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in addition to a mobile clinic to ensure the trials are readily accessible to volunteers participating in the programme.

The UAE was the preferred choice to conduct the Phase III trials for the inactive Covid-19 vaccine because of its demographic heterogeneity, allowing for robust research across multiple ethnicities and increasing its feasibility for global application to the success of the trials.