Video: UAE volunteers receive Russian Covid-19 vaccine

Video: UAE volunteers receive Russian Covid-19 vaccine

The first volunteers have begun participating in the UAE trials of the Russian human adenovirus-based vaccine against Covid-19.

Supervised by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, trials are initially open to 500 volunteers, the Government of Abu Dhabi Media Office tweeted on Sunday.

Abu Dhabi is one of the most important centres outside Russia to conduct the trials of the vaccine.

Volunteers have to meet certain criteria to take part in the trials. They have to be above the age of 18; must not have been infected with Covid-19 virus earlier and must not have not participated in any other Covid-19 trials. Additionally, they need to be free of communicable or severe respiratory diseases for at least 14 days.

The vaccines are being administered 20 days apart in two doses and volunteers will be strictly monitored through regular visits and tele-consultations for 180 days after their second dose.

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A massive National Vaccination Campaign is currently underway in the UAE. Two types of vaccines are administered for free to residents: Pfizer-BioNTech and the Chinese Sinopharm.

The authorities aim to vaccinate 50 per cent of the UAE's