The United Arab Emirates will start producing the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from April, helping the Gulf state accelerate plans to supply coronavirus jabs around the world.
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, also known as Julphar, said on Sunday it had signed a contract with Abu Dhabi’s G42 to produce the vaccine, which was trialled in the UAE and has since driven the country’s successful vaccination campaign.
The UAE, which began administering the jab to healthcare professionals last September, became the first country to approve Sinopharm for general use in December, saying it was 86 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19.
The jab is by far the most widely used vaccine in the UAE’s nationwide effort that has helped the country deliver 81 doses per 100 people, second only to Israel among populous nations.
Other vaccines being deployed include BioNTech/Pfizer, Oxford/AstraZeneca and the Russian Sputnik V jab. But experts have criticised opacity surrounding Sinopharm’s rollout, citing the lack of detailed explanations of efficacy results or peer-reviewed data.
The UAE earlier this month started to offer a third “booster” dose to those who fail to generate sufficient antibodies after two doses of the vaccine, Financial Times reported.
