2nd generation Sinopharm vaccine gets approval in UAE

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 that the vaccine can provide wide-spectrum protection against multiple variants of the novel coronavirus.

It added that 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 the immunity of 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 that 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 vaccine can further boost immunity.