The UAE has just announced an agreement with the Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm to build the Middle East's first vaccine plant in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2021.
A newly formed joint venture between China’s #Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi’s G42 has started manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines in the country, the first such initiative in the Middle East.#china #abudhabi #covid19 https://t.co/V7W1BwPmzK
— Forbes Middle East (@Forbes_MENA_) March 29, 2021
The Sinopharm vaccine has been the most widely used jab in the UAE, as the country reports using more than 7 million vaccinations across the country populated with almost 10 million people.
As the Sinopharm has reported a 79% efficacy rate with no severe side effects, the vaccine is growing in popularity across the world, thanks to its high production rate.
Featuring some of my comments: The United Arab Emirates will start producing China’s Sinopharm vaccine next month in a deal that deepens Beijing’s influence in the Arab Gulf, long a bastion of U.S. power https://t.co/JUuZZ3Swk0
— Jonathan Fulton (@jonathandfulton) March 29, 2021
The first vaccine approved for emergency use within the UAE was the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccinehttps://t.co/Cw8aGRsPt7
— Gulf Business (@GulfBusiness) March 28, 2021
Expanding manufacturing efforts, China and the UAE have agreed to build a vaccine factory in Abu Dhabi, one that can produce up to 200 million doses a year. For China, this can help its efforts to promote its locally-developed vaccine in new regions of the world, while supporting the UAE's efforts to diversify its oil-based economy.
The UAE has been involved in the manufacturing process of the Sinopharm vaccine very early on, as it had been recruiting UAE-based candidates for the human trials prior to its success.
Since January 2020, the UAE has reported at least 457k confirmed cases of COVID-19, and only less than 1500 deaths.
