UAE clinical trials of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine have moved into the final monitoring phase, now that all 1,000 volunteers received their second dose.

The next step involves monitoring the immune response of the test patients over 180 days.

The vaccine is being trialled on healthy adults from several nationalities in the UAE, aged 18 years and above, with no history of Covid-19 vaccinations or infection, and who have not suffered any communicable or severe respiratory diseases.

Results from the UAE study will be released by April 2021 and amalgamated with the research findings from other global trials.

Recent interim statistics from Phase 3 of the clinical trials into the Sputnik V show a high efficacy of 91.6 per cent.

The data also showed the vaccine is safe, and offers complete protection against hospital admission and death, as reported in The Lancet medical journal. It also works well for the elderly.

The Russian human adenovirus-based vaccine is being trialled in the UAE under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company and Department of Health Abu Dhabi.

Dr Ahmed Al Hammadi, a consultant physician in infectious diseases and the trial’s principal investigator in the UAE, said the progress of the Sputnik V trail should be celebrated as an achievement for the UAE’s medical community.

"It's an important precursor to studying the immune response in a diverse range of volunteers – paving the way for further securing the safety of our citizens and residents against Covid-19."

Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, praised the progress of the trial in the UAE.

“This next stage will add important data, further demonstrating the high efficacy of the vaccine and strengthening the UAE’s global efforts in pioneering scientific discovery,” he said.

How does Sputnik V work?

The vaccine was initially registered for use in Russia in August 2020, making it the first registered Covid-19 vaccine from the 165 being developed across the world.

The UAE authorised its emergency use in January, on the basis of the results of the Russian Phase 3 clinical trial, which included more than 33,000 volunteers.

Sputnik V harnesses similar technology to the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine, in that it uses a cold-type virus, re-engineered to be harmless, to deliver a small fragment of the coronavirus to the body.

This encourages an immune response, and those antibodies can fight off a real Covid-19 infection, meaning someone who has received the vaccine does not get ill.

The drug needs to be stored at minus 2.8°C, making it easier to distribute than those requiring ultra-cold storage, and the doses are given 21 days apart.

So far 16 countries have approved its use.

Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading, told The National that he would take the vaccine based on the data published in The Lancet.

"I don’t see any reason not to," he said. "[Russia] deserves credit where credit is due."