New walk-in screening facility opened in Abu Dhabi for Covid-19 vaccine trials

A new walk-in registration, screening and testing facility has been opened in Abu Dhabi for volunteers who want to participate in the phase III trial of an inactivated vaccine for Covid-19.

The purpose-built facility at ADNEC will allow volunteers in Abu Dhabi to register, be screened on site and then, if eligible, be invited to return in a few days to take the first shot of the vaccine.

The facility, which can process up to 800 volunteers a day, is only open to Abu Dhabi residents, a statement said.

The inactivated vaccine used in the “world’s first” clinical phase three trials has been developed by Sinopharm CNBG, the world’s sixth largest vaccine manufacturer.

Abu Dhabi-based G42 Healthcare is managing the clinical trial process under the supervision of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi and in coordination with Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA), whose specialised staff runs the on-site operations.

A team of nurses, administrators, healthcare professionals and volunteers from SEHA are responsible at ADNEC for welcoming volunteers, managing the registration and screening process and administering the inactivated vaccine.

Branded 4Humanity signage has been installed at ADNEC to ensure that volunteers can quickly and easily find the registration desks and be taken through the various steps of the trial process.

The walk-in facility will be open daily from 8am to 8pm, including during the Eid holidays except on Friday.

Individuals who have already registered online but have not yet had a follow-up call can also go to the walk-in clinic if they wish to receive on-site screening and the first vaccination three days after receiving a negative test for Covid-19.

Since the programme began in the UAE on July 16, “thousands of people from every emirate” have volunteered and registered to become part of the trials, the statement added.

Read: Head of Abu Dhabi’s health department becomes first volunteer for Covid-19 Phase III vaccine trials

Ashish Koshy, G42 Healthcare CEO said: “There has been an amazing response from the UAE public to volunteer and participate in the 4Humanity programme. This new facility at ADNEC will ensure rapid turnaround times in response to the overwhelming number of registrations already received.

“We are now conducting the feasibility of setting up similar sites in other parts of the UAE to improve convenience for volunteers.”

The phase III clinical trial for the inactivated vaccine follows the success of the Phase I and phase II trials conducted by Sinopharm in China, which resulted in 100 per cent of the volunteers generating antibodies after two doses in 28 days.

The phase III trials are open to healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60 living in the UAE and will last between six to eight months, with the volunteers required to be available for follow ups during this time.