UAE offers third shot of China’s Sinopharm vaccine in some cases

UAE offers third shot of China’s Sinopharm vaccine in some cases

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The United Arab Emirates is offering people who have shown weak immunity after two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine a third shot of the Chinese jab as booster.

Healthcare authorities have told anyone who fears they are not immune after taking an antibody test after their second dose to return to the centre where they were vaccinated.

"The vast majority of people have taken Sinopharm and it shows a good response,“ said a doctor working at a government hospital. "The booster is only needed if you don't mount an immune response after two jabs.“

A health official told local media last month that a third dose might be needed for a minority shown to have insufficient levels of antibodies in subsequent tests.

The China-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine has driven the UAE's successful vaccine campaign which has delivered 67 doses per 100 residents, second only to Israel in countries with a sizeable population.

Apart from the UAE, only a handful of nations “” including Bahrain, Pakistan, Egypt, Serbia and Hungary “” have authorised the use of the Chinese-state backed Sinopharm vaccine amid questions over the transparency of its trial data. The company says the jab has an efficacy