What COVID-19 vaccines are approved in the UAE?

Abu Dhabi: A total of nine brands of COVID-19 vaccines are approved in the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), the public health arm of Abu Dhabi health regulator, the Department of Health (DoH), issued a list of vaccines accepted in the UAE.

The list includes the following vaccines:

Included in the list, Hayatvax is the UAE-made formulation of the Sinopharm vaccine, whereas Covishield is the Oxford AstraZeneca jab produced in India.

UAE availability

Five of the vaccines are currently available free of charge in the UAE: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, Oxford AstraZeneca, and Moderna. Of these, Sinopharm is also available for vaccinating children aged three or more, whereas Pfizer-BioNTech is available for children aged at least 12 years.

Handy list

Given that Expo 2020 Dubai is just days away, and with the UAE requiring residents and visitors to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access many venues and facilities, the list can come especially handy. Visitors can present proof of vaccination by registering their status on the Al Hosn app, UAE’s official vaccine registry.

Al Hosn registration

Here are the steps international travellers should follow to register their vaccination status on Al Hosn app:

1. Before departure, visitors need to register in the ‘Register Arrivals’ section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) app.

2. Complete the ‘Register Arrivals’ form and upload a vaccination certificate issued abroad. Visitors will receive a text message that includes a link to download Al Hosn app.

3. On arriving in the UAE, visitors will receive a unified identification number (UID) either at the airport or through the ICA app or website.

4. Visitors will need to download and register on Al Hosn app, using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE. A one-time password will be sent to complete Al Hosn app registration.