Coronavirus vaccine trial volunteers sought in Abu Dhabi

Coronavirus vaccine trial volunteers sought in Abu Dhabi

Five hundred volunteers from Abu Dhabi are being sought to take part in Phase III clinical trials of the Russian-developed coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.

The trials, held under the supervision of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), are being facilitated through a partnership between the Russian Direct Investment Fund, RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and Abu Dhabi-based Aurugulf Health Investment.

Russian president President Vladimir Putin announced the registration of Sputnik V in August and a second inoculation was approved in October.

Developers of the vaccine have said that initial testing showed it was 91.4 percent effective in preventing infections, although final results haven't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have said their shot is 95 percent effective in preventing illness.

The programme is being conducted under the "Vaccine for Victory" campaign for Abu Dhabi citizens and residents, who can register at www.v4v.ae.

The vaccine is being tested on healthy adults from multiple nationalities aged 18+ years, who are living in Abu Dhabi, have not previously been infected with Covid-19, have not participated in any other Covid-19 vaccination trial and have not suffered any communicable or severe respiratory diseases for at least 14 days.

Volunteers will receive two doses