UAE Covid vaccine: How long will jab protect you?

  • Date: 17-Feb-2021
  • Source: Khaleej Times
  • Sector:Healthcare
  • Country:UAE
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UAE Covid vaccine: How long will jab protect you?

The UAE's national vaccination campaign marked a turning point in the battle against Covid-19 as authorities announced that over 40 per cent of residents have received the jab.

Currently, four Covid-19 vaccines are available in the UAE: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, and AstraZeneca. (Read our explainer on the four vaccines and they work)

Now, does vaccination mean immunity against Covid-19 for life? How long does the protection last?

Dr Farida Al Hosani, the official spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, addressed some of these pressing questions at the weekly Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday.

>> How long will Covid-19 vaccination protect me from infection?

Dr Hosani: Sinopharm's clinical trials have shown that its vaccine can reduce the chances of contracting Covid-19 and prevent complications from the disease. However, no one can yet determine how long the protection will last. This applies to all vaccines developed to treat Covid-19.

(Note: In an earlier discussion, Dr Hosani had said that people may need to take the Covid jab every year - similar to how flu vaccines are administered. You can read the report here)

>> Does this mean I will lose immunity against Covid-19 over time?

Dr Hosani: The