The UAE has started the phase 3 clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine that is expected to be available by the end of 2020 or early 2021, authorities said.
This clinical trial operation is part of the country’s partnership with China. It is the world’s first inactivated Covid-19 vaccine to enter the third phase of trials. An agreement was recently signed between the Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm 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.
The first two stages of the vaccine’s trials were conducted in China. Elaborating on the procedure, Dr Al Hosani said clinical trials are divided into three stages that include making sure the vaccine is safe; assessing immunity generation; and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine on a larger segment of people.
Volunteers in a number of hospitals across the country will be participating in the third phase, according to a tweet posted by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Wednesday.
