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UAE Ministers Taking Shots to Show World Chinese Vaccine is Safe

UAE Ministers Taking Shots to Show World Chinese Vaccine is Safe

The latest COVID-19 information and statistics for the Middle East and North Africa

Why are so many high-ranking government officials in the United Arab Emirates publicly showing themselves receiving doses of the Chinese-manufactured coronavirus vaccine candidate, which is in the final stage of clinical trials and has received emergency use authorization in the Gulf country?

Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and interior minister, on Monday became the latest Emirati minister to be photographed getting a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the China National Biotec Group, a subsidiary of the giant China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm).

“The first targeted audience of UAE ministers receiving doses of the Chinese-manufactured Sinopharm vaccine is domestic: it is indeed a good way to bolster public confidence, as frontline workers are also being vaccinated in large numbers in the country,” Dr. Emma Soubrier, a visiting scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told The Media Line.

Other UAE officials who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine include Noura Al Kaabi, minister of culture and youth; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, minister of foreign affairs; and international cooperation; Abdul Rahman Al Owais, minister of health and prevention; Obaid Al Shamsi, director general of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority; and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.

“Given the status of these ministers, it is also a clear message sent to the rest of the world about the level of trust invested by the UAE in the Chinese vaccine, and in the broader cooperation with China amid the coronavirus pandemic, in health technology as well as artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities,” Soubrier said.

The emergency use approval for frontline workers was issued in September after the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority confirmed the successful completion of Phase 3 clinical trials on 31,000 volunteers, including 1,000 with chronic diseases. Certain health and safety standards were also met, according to the agency.

Dr. Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Media Line that the emergency authorization for the vaccine is a source of pride for China.

“The approval for emergency use in UAE meant a lot to China,” Huang said. “With the UAE becoming the first foreign country to authorize the use of a Chinese-made vaccine, it will help boost the image that Chinese-made vaccines are safe and effective. Also, since the volunteers came from 125 countries, the approval would help China market its vaccines at a global level.”

Iran

Iran on Thursday reported its second-highest daily number of new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began there in mid-February.

The 5,471 new cases broke Wednesday’s record of 5,616, bringing the total number of infections to 550,757, said Sima Sadat Lari, Iran’s Health Ministry spokeswoman.

The 304 coronavirus deaths reported took the total number of fatalities to 31,650.

Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East from the coronavirus pandemic, with the highest number of infections and deaths.

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers for the Middle East and North Africa as of 7:00 UTC on Friday.

Country Confirmed cases Deaths Recovered Active Cases
Afghanistan

40,626

1,505 33,831

5,290

Algeria

55,357 1,888 38,618

14,851

Bahrain

79,211

308 75,840

3,063

Cyprus 3,154 25 1,444 1,685

Djibouti

5,522 61 5,389

72

Egypt

106,060 6,166 98,624

1,270

Iran

550,757 31,650 442,674 76,433

Iraq

442,164 10,465 371,826

59,873

Israel

308,247 2,319 288,337

17,591

Jordan

46,441 481 7,340

38,620

Kuwait

119,420

730 110,714

7,976

Lebanon

67,027

552 31,409

35,066

Libya

52,620

768 29,057

22,795

Mauritania

7,650

163 7,369

118

Morocco

186,731

3,132 154,481

29,118

Oman

111,837

1,147 97,949

12,741

Pakistan

326,216

6,715 309,646

9,855

Palestinian Territories

49,134

435 42,544

6,155

Qatar

130,462

228 127,328

2,906

Saudi Arabia

343,774

5,250 330,181

8,343

Somalia

3,897

102 3,166

629

Sudan

13,724

836 6,764

6,124

Syria

5,267

260 1,655

3,352

Tunisia

45,892

740 5,032

40,120

Turkey

355,528

9,584 310,027

35,917

United Arab Emirates

120,710

474 113,364

6,872

Yemen

2,057

597 1,344

116

Total

3,579,485 86,581 3,045,953

446,951

 

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