The UAE approved Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine emergency use in June. This vaccine is 93% effective against the COVID-19 virus for four to six months after administering the second dose.

The latest data is in line with the 94% efficacy first recorded in clinical trials.

Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, the assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, said Moderna complied with the country's procedures and regulations. Therefore, local health authorities were able to import the vaccine. 

The data of Moderna's efficiency compares favourably with results reported by Pfizer-BioNTech. Their vaccine's efficacy dropped by about 6% every two months to roughly 84% six months after the second dose.

Moderna is the fifth coronavirus vaccine introduced in the UAE after the green light given to Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Sinopharm.

Currently, Sinopharm and Pfizer are the most widely used doses in the UAE.

Like the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, Moderna's vaccine uses mRNA technology. It contains genetic instructions for the cells to make the spike COVID-19 protein.

The National