A salute to UAE vaccine trial volunteers

The Abu Dhabi Health Services, SEHA, has started conducting new clinical trials for phase III of inactivated vaccine to combat COVID-19 and this is not only great news for the UAE but also the rest of the world.

The trials, being conducted under the supervision of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, and in collaboration with G42’s Sinopharm CNBG, have also highlighted the beauty of diversity in the country.

As Dr Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Acting Undersecretary of DOH, points out the diversity of nationalities that call the UAE home, as well as the leading role our leadership plays in tackling the virus in various countries of the world, has made the country the perfect place for phase III of the clinical trials. The overwhelming response by Emiratis and residents to the call for volunteers reflects the caring nature of the entire nation.

More than 10,000 people have already registered as volunteer. Registration is still open to volunteers interested in participating in the Phase III trials of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine in Abu Dhabi through the website: www.4humanity.ae.

Volunteers will have the chance to significantly impact not only their own community, but also the global healthcare community by extension, as stated by Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Hamed.

Those who participate in the trials will support the noble efforts to address one of the biggest health challenges that the world has faced during the 21st century.

The UAE’s wise leadership has successfully put the UAE on the map as a hub for scientific research, as it is now one of the first countries worldwide to reach this stage of clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Thanks to the leadership’s guidance, foreign research institutions have expressed keen interest in collaborating closely with the UAE to pursue scientific research.

In Al Hamed’s words: “As part of our efforts in the UAE to seek a vaccine for the virus, we at the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi have brought together Group 42 and Sinopharm China National Biotec Group along with local and global experts respectively. In a bid to create a safer future for all, these entities and medical experts are collaborating closely to develop a vaccine.

“Due to the UAE’s advanced infrastructure, particularly in the healthcare sector, we were considered as the nation with the most advanced resources to carry out this crucial stage of the clinical trials. This was evident in the UAE’s rapid response to COVID-19, from dedicating its efforts to safeguarding the community’s health, to the positive results it has shown in a short timeframe.”

 More than 100 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged the global economy.

Early data from trials of three potential COVID-19 vaccines released last week, including a closely-watched candidate from Oxford University, increased confidence that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognise and fight the novel coronavirus without serious side effects.

Whether any of these efforts will result in a vaccine capable of protecting billions of people and ending the global pandemic is still far from clear.

What is comforting, however, is science is making rapid headway in tackling the deadly pandemic. Thousands of people who have offered to volunteer deserve a hearty salute. They are taking steps that will help entire humanity.