UAE approves COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and above

The UAE has approved the COVID-19 vaccine for use in people aged 16 and above.

Until now only adults over 18 were permitted to receive the vaccination, but an announcement made by the Ministry of Health and Prevention today (Sunday January 18) states that the coronavirus vaccine eligibility is being extended to people aged 16 and above.

The UAE is offering all residents and citizens a vaccine manufactured by Chinese state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm.

The Sinopharm vaccine is available at various vaccination centres and medical practices across the emirates and is completely free of charge.

Dubai is also offering its citizens and residents a second vaccine for free.

In addition to the Sinopharm vaccine, Dubai residents and citizens can opt for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, though this is being rolled out in phases to people falling into specified categories based on age, nationality, profession and medical vulnerabilities.

In September the Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac announced that it would launch trials to test its vaccine in over 500 children ages three to 16 to test both the safety of the vaccine and also examine whether it produces an immune response among the participants.

However, the statement made by the Ministry of Health and Prevention did not confirm which of the two vaccines would be available for over 16s.

The Sinopharm vaccine was approved for nationwide use on December 9. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was first administered in Dubai two weeks later.

For a full list of vaccination centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, click here.