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4 Covid vaccines in UAE explained: What’s the difference and how do they work?

Dubai - A top health official answered questions about Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and AstraZeneca vaccines.

by Dhanusha Gokulan

Published: Tue 16 Feb 2021, 8:04 PM

Last updated: Tue 16 Feb 2021, 8:11 PM

Four vaccines have been approved for use in the UAE: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, and AstraZeneca. What are the differences? Are certain vaccines better than others?

Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, on Tuesday explained what each vaccine does to a person’s body. She stressed that all these jabs are the same in a sense that they all trigger the body to produce antibodies to fight a Covid infection.

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“Many people focus on differences in vaccines and how they are manufactured and preserved. However, despite these differences, vaccines are similar in stimulating the body by producing antibodies, giving the necessary immunity in the event of exposure to the virus,” Dr Al Hosani said.

Here, she explained how each vaccine works:

>> 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.

>> 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.