Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: VCG

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday the approval of Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3-17 in the country after its efficacy in that age group has been verified, Reuters reported.

The Global Times confirmed with Sinopharm on Tuesday that the UAE is the first foreign country to start providing Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 3-17.

According to the country's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), the decision was made after a clinical trial and extensive evaluations which are "based on the emergency use authorization and local evaluations which are in line with the approved regulations," the NCEMA said in a tweet.

According to Reuters, the trial was conducted in June through the observation of the immune response of 900 child volunteers across the country "in preparation to vaccinate children in the near future."  

Media reported that the UAE is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to conduct a COVID-19 vaccination study on children of this age group.

In a statement, the UAE health department said that studies have shown that the Sinopharm vaccine is effective in reducing infection rates and symptom severity in the target population, and its adoption will help the UAE effectively respond to and control the spread of COVID-19.

China approved Sinovac vaccine for emergency use for children aged 3 to 17 in June. 

On July 16, Sinopharm Beijing institute vaccine was approved for emergency use in adolescents aged 3-17 years in China after verification by relevant departments under the joint prevention and control mechanism of the China State Council, CCTV reported.

At present, the inoculation is being carried out in an orderly manner in China, and the vaccine demonstrated safety, tolerability and immunogenicity for the group which boosted public confidence in rolling out vaccinations for Chinese youngsters. 

Global Times