Wednesday, the UAE announced the COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinopharm group, with whom it has a partnership, is 86 percent effective. 

In July, the UAE started phase III of the vaccine’s clinical trials, which were developed by a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group, the Beijing Institute of Biological Product. The vaccine was given emergency use authorization by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention in September to administer to healthcare workers on the frontline of the virus.

The trials included 31,000 participants from 125 different nationalities and took place in several different countries, including Jordan.

An interim analysis of the clinical trials published by the ministry stated that the vaccine has a “99 percent seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibodies and 100 percent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease," according to Arab News.

The analysis showed no life-threatening safety concerns, but the UAE is conducting studies of post-authorization efficacy to ensure further safety of the vaccine.

Abu Dhabi is currently seeking volunteers to participate in Russia's Sputnik V’s vaccine trials.