Ministry of Health: Registration open for third phase of clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine

The Public Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health has announced the opening of volunteering opportunities to take part in the third phase of the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial.

The inactivated vaccine is pre-qualified by the World Health Organization and volunteers can register through the National Volunteer Platform.

The ministry revealed that the trial will enlist up to 6000 volunteers, over the age of 18, and volunteers will have to undergo a health assessment prior to enlisting, as per the health requirements set by the approved protocols.

The Ministry of Health emphasized that the inactivated vaccine does not cause infection, but triggers an immune response producing antibodies that fight the virus, the effectiveness of the produced antibodies will be assessed as a measure of the success of the vaccine.

Bahrain has joined the UAE in the third phase of the clinical trial. The trial follows the successful completion of the first two phases in China, which have reported good success rates.

The manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccine follows stringent quality and safety practices set for all vaccines.

The ministry noted that the third phase of the vaccine’s clinical trial, conducted in partnership with the China-based pharmaceutical company, Sinopharm, has been approved by the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). It will involve administering the inactive vaccine to the selected volunteers, to study the effectiveness of antibody production and the acquired protection against the virus. The subjects that will take part in the trial will be constantly followed-up over a period of 12 months.  

The ministry expressed its hope that the clinical trials within the Kingdom will be successful, given the outstanding results it has achieved in its first and second phases across various countries.

To volunteer in the third phase clinical trial of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine: https://volunteer.gov.bh/