Dubai Health Authority announces start of Sinopharm vaccines for COVID-19

Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Saturday announced it will begin providing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to Emirati citizens and Dubai residents who are aged 60 and above, starting from Sunday.

The move is in line with the DHA’s keenness to provide the public with an opportunity to select between various types of vaccines available in the emirate. The Sinopharm vaccine will be available at Nad Al Hamr Health Centre, Al Twar Health Centre and Al Mankhool Health Centre, the Authority said.

In the first phase of the launch of the vaccine, the DHA’s Contact Centre will reach out to those who already have pre-registered for vaccination.

“Providing the Sinopharm vaccine is part of the DHA’s keenness to ensure the availability of COVID-19 vaccination services to all segments of the community, especially the older age groups who are considered to be among the high-risk categories. In the first phase of the launch of the vaccine, the DHA’s Contact Centre will reach out to those who already have pre-registered appointments for vaccination,” said Dr Farida Al Khaja, CEO of DHA’s Clinical Support Services and Nursing Sector and Chairperson of the COVID-19 Vaccination Steering Committee.

Dr Al Khaja added that the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine will be available to other segments of the population in future phases. The health authority reiterated the importance of continuing to adhere to precautionary measures and leading a healthy lifestyle even after taking the vaccine.]

Meanwhile, in a tweet pinned on its Twitter account, DHA said it is working on rescheduling the first dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. It added that the manufacturer has announced the expansion of the vaccine production capacity, which has temporarily affected several countries globally.

Appointments for the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine remain unaffected, DHA noted.