First glimpse of UAE-made Hayat-Vax shots rolling off production line

Footage from Ras Al Khaimah's Julphar pharmaceutical plant shows fast progress as UAE produces China's Sinopharm shots

The first UAE-made Covid-19 vaccines are seen rolling off a production line in new images.

Hundreds of vials are seen being processed at Emirati drug maker Julphar's vaccine plant in Ras Al Khaimah.

Earlier on Monday, the companies behind the operation said they had already began making the Sinopharm vaccine under the brand name Hayat-Vax. Hayat means 'life' in Arabic.

The UAE rolls out its home-produced vaccine

On Sunday night, the UAE and China agreed a deal to permit Abu Dhabi's Group 42 and Julphar to manufacture the vaccine, which Sinopharm says has a 79 per cent efficacy rate.

On Monday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, spoke at a virtual conference hosted by the Hope Consortium, an Abu Dhabi-based logistics collective set up to deliver vaccines globally.

Sheikh Abdullah said the country would play its role in the Covax drive to provide affordable doses to the developing world.

"We believe that every person has the right to obtain the vaccine without discrimination," he said.

Bz2003 Julphar

Bottles move along a production line at Julphar's manufacturing facility in Ras Al Khaimah in this file image. The company is already producing the Sinopharm vaccine and will be part of a plan to build a dedicated plant in Abu Dhabi's Kizad zone. Pawan Singh / The National