UAE grants emergency approval to next-gen Sinopharm jab

Health authorities of the United Arab Emirates have recently approved a second-generation COVID-19 vaccine made by Chinese company Sinopharm for emergency use, the company said on Tuesday. 

The company said in a notice the vaccine can provide wide-spectrum protection against multiple variants of the novel coronavirus. 

It added the vaccine is the world's first second-generation COVID-19 vaccine that has received emergency authorization.

The product is of the recombinant protein subunit type that typically requires three doses for full immunization. 

In the UAE, the vaccine will be used as a booster shot to spike immunity for people fully vaccinated with Sinopharm's two-dose inactivated vaccine, according to the notice. 

Preliminary research involving about 2,000 participants in the country shows the vaccine is safe and capable of inducing high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the original strain of the novel coronavirus and major variants. 

The emergency use approval has been announced as global scientists are studying whether mixing and matching different types of vaccines can further boost immunity.