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Children between the age of 12-15 in the UAE now eligible for Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

The health ministry said that the decision follows clinical trials and a strict assessment conducted to approve the emergency local use of the vaccine

by Varun Godinho

May 16, 2021

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Officials from the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) have approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 to 15.

It follows the outcomes of clinical trials and a strict assessment conducted to approve the emergency local use of the vaccine, reported state news agency WAM.

In January, MoHAP had said that all UAE citizens and residents aged 16 and above are eligible for vaccination under the National Vaccination Programme against Covid-19.

Read: Covid-19 vaccination centre opens in Dubai World Trade Centre; minimum age for jab reduced to 16

MoHAP, the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi (DoH), the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) have launched a free national vaccination campaign for all citizens and residents to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Last week, authorities in the UAE announced the eligibility criteria for Covid-19 vaccine exemptions. Exemption certificates will be issued by accredited health centres, clinics and hospitals in the country.

Read: UAE declares eligibility criteria for Covid-19 vaccine exemptions

The higher the level of vaccination in the community, the higher the percentage of immunity in this community, but if your case is not allowing you to be vaccinated, read how to get the exemption#TogetherWeRecover #covid19 #mohap_uae pic.twitter.com/uv8YHPcbhA

— وزارة الصحة ووقاية المجتمع – MOHAP UAE (@mohapuae) May 15, 2021

As of Saturday, May 15, the total number of doses provided stood at 11,448,363, with a vaccine distribution rate of 115.75 doses per 100 people. It includes 2,683 doses of the vaccine which were administered over the previous 24 hours.

Also on Saturday, the ministry announced that 1,321 new coronavirus cases were registered over the preceding 24 hours, taking the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 544,931.

MoHAP also announced 3 deaths due to Covid-19 complications over the same period, scaling the total number of deaths in the country to 1,629.

Also, an additional 1,302 individuals had fully recovered from virus, bringing the total number of recoveries in the UAE up to 525,080.