The Department of Health Abu Dhabi in collaboration with G42 Healthcare and Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) has announced the opening of a new purpose-built, walk-in registration, screening and testing facility at ADNEC for volunteers who want to participate in the world's first clinical Phase III trial of an inactivated vaccine to combat COVID-19. Those who want to volunteer can visit the facility directly without making an appointment. ADNEC has the size and resources to process up to 1,000 volunteers a day, individuals who have already registered online but have not yet had a follow-up call can also benefit from the walk-in clinic if they wish to visit and receive on-site screening and the first vaccination three days after receiving a negative test for COVID-19. The facility will only be open to individuals who are resident in Abu Dhabi. A highly experienced and qualified 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. The walk-in facility will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the duration of Eid holidays except on Friday. Since the program commenced on 16th July, thousands of people from every Emirate have volunteered and registered to become part of the trials. The new facility will help to make it even simpler for 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. 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 specialized staff runs the on-site operations. Feasibility evaluation for setting up similar sites in other parts of the United Arab Emirates to improve convenience for volunteers is currently being conducted. The Phase III clinical trial for the inactivated vaccine follows the success of Phase I and Phase II trials conducted by Sinopharm in China, which resulted in 100 percent of the volunteers generating antibodies after two doses in 28 days. 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. — WAM
