Sharjah Airport staff receive first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

Frontline staff at the Sharjah Airport have been administered with the first dose of the new Covid-19 vaccine, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, the UAE’s Minister of Health and Prevention, permitted the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine for frontline staff within the country.

Read: UAE permits emergency use of new Covid-19 vaccine for frontline staff in the country

Al Owais too was administered the vaccine subsequently, while he added that the decision to administer the vaccine is “fully and completely compatible with the regulations and laws that allow a faster review of licensing procedures.”

Read also: UAE health minister gets first dose of Covid-19 vaccine

With regards to the decision to administer the vaccine to staff at the Sharjah airport, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Zarouni, the director of Sharjah Medical District, said: “Having identified the target groups, the dose, and the immunisation system, the vaccination is provided in accordance with evidence-based scientific rules, quality control procedures, and the internationally approved protocols which include the constant medical follow-up and the monitoring of any side effects that may occur.”

HE Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of SAA leads #SharjahAirport employees in receiving the #COVID19 vaccine. Conducted in cooperation with the #UAE Ministry of Health and Community Protection, the vaccine is targeting the staff who are in direct contact with the passengers. pic.twitter.com/qlQcMO0mMv

— مطار الشارقة (@sharjahairport) September 29, 2020

“We are pleased to be the first authority in Sharjah that provides Covid-19 vaccine to front-line staff members who are in direct contact with travellers, especially that Sharjah Airport is the main gateway to the emirate and receives travellers from all over the world. We fully recognise our great responsibility to ensure the health and safety of everyone, and we’ll continue to adopt all precautionary measures that guarantee public health and safety,” added Ali Salim Al Midfa, chairman of the Sharjah International Airport.

The vaccine which is part of the world’s first Phase III trial currently underway are being conducted as a partnership between Abu Dhabi based G42 Healthcare, and Sinopharm CNBG, the world’s sixth largest vaccine manufacturer.

Over 31,000 volunteers have signed up for the Phase III trials of the vaccine before its emergency use was approved by the health minister.

Several top health officials within the country including Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, assistant under-secretary for the hospital sector and director general of the Emirates Health Services Corporation; Dr. Hussein Abdel Rahman Al-Rand, under-secretary of the ministry’s health assistant sector, health centres, and clinics; and Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, assistant under-secretary of the support services sector, have all recently been administered the vaccine.

Read more: Health officials in UAE receive first dose of Covid-19 vaccine