UAE launches Sinopharm vaccine trial for children under 18

Some members of Abu Dhabi ruling family are participating in a trial administering China"s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 3-17, the emirates media office said, Olaylar reports with reference to Reuters.

The trial will monitor the immune response of 900 children "in preparation to vaccinate children in the near future", Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed, a son of the United Arab Emirates de facto ruler and Abu Dhabis crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied his children, nieces and nephews to participate in the immune bridge study, it said.

The UAE in May approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in children aged 12-15. Dubai, the second-largest member of the UAE federation, started inoculating that age group this month.

The UAE, which has among the worlds highest immunisation rates, on Wednesday registered 2,011 new coronavirus infections to take its total to 603,961 cases with 1,738 deaths. It does not provide a breakdown for each of its seven emirates.