Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine arrives in the Emirates
The Hope Consortium, a logistics hub in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has begun operating. The organisation delivered the first doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine to the health authorities in Dubai. The vaccines flew from Brussels on Emirates flight EK 182 on December 22nd to Dubai International Airport (DXB). Once there, the material was sent to the company's pharmaceutical facility, Emirates SkyPharma, from where it will be forwarded to hospitals.
The transport was carried out in the Emirates SkyCargo, a model of The Emirates Group company prepared for the transport of vaccines and other sensitive pharmaceutical products at high temperatures. In September 2017, the company revalidated its Good Distribution Practice certificate granted by the European Union. More recently, Emirates SkyCargo has established the distribution and storage centre for COVID-19 vaccines in Dubai. The facility has the capacity to store around 10 million doses. In addition, this model has begun distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to a wide variety of manufacturers and countries.
The Hope Consortium is the logistical apparatus in charge of vaccine distribution services. It is a public-private partnership based in the United Arab Emirates, composed in turn of the main Abu Dhabi entities such as the Abu Dhabi Health Department, Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Ports Group, Rafed; as well as foreign companies, including SkyCell, Agility or Kuenhe+Nagel.
This consortium addresses transportation, demand planning, supply, training and digital technology infrastructure activities to facilitate the availability of vaccines worldwide. With a global reach, comprising more than 170 countries, The Hope Consortium handles more than 6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine that are being manufactured worldwide, in either single or multiple doses. In addition, the consortium is exploring partnership opportunities to further expand its business.
In the last two weeks, there have been 17,000 new infections and 47 deaths in the country. Since the start of the pandemic, the Emirate Ministry of Health has recorded a total of 197.124 infections and 645 deaths. The UAE authorities announced on Tuesday that they will vaccinate the population free of charge against the coronavirus. The campaign has started this Wednesday in the city of Dubai, and "will use the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine", transported by The Hope Consortium, according to the Dubai Media Office.
Throughout the city, authorities have developed field hospitals where citizens can receive doses of the vaccine. The only requirement is to have a residence permit. A large majority of the UAE's 10 million inhabitants are foreigners. The Indian and Filipino communities are currently the most prominent, comprising a total of 1.5 million people. However, the vaccination process began in early December with Sinopharm, the Chinese vaccine that is 86% effective.
The UAE Fatwa Council, the country's main Islamic authority, issued an opinion yesterday allowing Muslims to receive the vaccine despite the fact that it is partly made up of gelatine derived from pork, the consumption of which is prohibited by Islam. The agency issued a fatwa responding to concerns about the composition of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and the possibility that its inoculation would violate the precepts of Islam.
The Fatwa Council also stated that the competent authorities and medical bodies were authorised to analyse any side effects the vaccine might have and called on the population to work with the government to ensure the success of the vaccination campaign.
