Coronavirus: UAE to offer third dose to recipients of China’s Sinopharm vaccine
- The United Arab Emirates appears to be the first country worldwide to formally introduce such booster shots
- The move comes amid concerns about an insufficient antibody response and questions over the vaccine’s efficacy
The brief statement comes after some residents in the UAE reported receiving a third shot amid concerns about an insufficient antibody response. China’s top disease control official acknowledged last month that the country’s locally produced vaccines offer low protection against the virus, adding to growing questions over the shot’s efficacy.
The Sinopharm vaccine has become the linchpin of the UAE’s vaccination campaign, among the fastest in the world per capita.
The country, home to the oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi and glitzy city state Dubai, has raced to widespread immunity in hopes of a swift economic reopening. Dubai draws heavily from the service-heavy tourism and aviation industries, which have been clobbered by the coronavirus.
01:21
UAE is first government to officially approve Chinese coronavirus vaccine developed by Sinopharm
Aside from efficacy numbers, the Chinese manufacturer has released very little public data about its Sinopharm vaccine, prompting criticism for its lack of transparency. Nonetheless, the shot is at the heart of China’s own mass immunisation campaign and its vast vaccine diplomacy efforts.