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UAE Covid vaccine: Is Pfizer jab better than the others?

Dubai - The UAE currently offers four types of Covid-19 vaccines, including Sinopharm and Pfizer-BioNTech.

Published: Wed 2 Jun 2021, 12:27 PM

Updated: Wed 2 Jun 2021, 12:31 PM

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Some residents believe that the Pfizer vaccine is better than the other jabs available in the country. However, this is not true, a top official has said.

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In a video posted by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, explained that no vaccine in the UAE is better than the other.

“All the authorised vaccines in the UAE are safe and effective in preventing serious Covid-19 infections. The choice is yours,” she said.

During an earlier briefing, Dr Al Hosani had explained how all four vaccines work:

>> Sinopharm

The Sinopharm vaccine works by using dead viral particles to expose the body’s immune system to the virus without risking a reaction. The vaccine stimulates the human immune system and forms antibodies to resist the Covid-19 virus.

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>> Pfizer-BioNTech

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works with RNA technology. This means that part of the virus’ gene code is injected into the body, prompting it to start producing the s-protein on the shell of the virus, triggering immune response.

>> Sputnik V and AstraZeneca

Both AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccine are based on a viral vector. It is placed on another virus called adenovirus, which is modified and then molecules of the emerging Covid-19 virus are added to it. The virus is considered weak but sufficient to produce antibodies.

The UAE is the best in the world when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination rates. As on May 31, the country has administered 12.87 million doses of the vaccine. This is a dose administration rate of 130.13 per 100 people.



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