Soumya Aarumal, 34, was sceptical when her husband, Shafi Kuniyil, 36, expressed his desire to register as volunteer for the world’s first phase-III trial of COVID-19 vaccine which began in the UAE in mid-July.
After the initial confusion, Soumya from Kannur in Kerala, too, decided to join the trial for the vaccine developed by the Chinese firm Sinopharm. The Sharjah-based couple was administered the first dose on August 18. The couple is among several Keralites who voluntarily turned up at the centres in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for the clinical trial of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in the past few weeks.
For Keralites in the UAE, the excitement to be part of initiatives to end the pandemic surpassed their health concerns. The volunteers can opt out of the trial any time. The attempts by friends and relatives to detract them from the trials had little effect. Most volunteers are awaiting the next shot to be taken after 21 days. The vaccine is expected to hit the market this year itself.
For Thalassery native Shafi, another volunteer, the trial is not just a contribution to the global efforts to end the pandemic but also his statement to people who stay away even from clinically tested vaccines citing religious reasons.
“Even in the midst of the pandemic, there are people who say there is no need for quarantine, mask or social distancing. Some stay away from clinically proven vaccines, citing religious reasons. I agreed to be part of the trial process to show them that the vaccines are for our own good,” Shafi said.
Soumya said besides the troubles during lockdown, she had to bear the brunt of COVID-19 as her brother-in-law contracted it. He has severe health complications even after recovering from the disease.
The reasons for getting enlisted for the trials range from personal to political but Keralites also got people from other countries to sign up for the trial. While region-wise official figures of volunteers are not available, the trial organisers said the public response to the clinical trial was overwhelming.
A trial for humanity
The trial, titled ‘4Humanity programme,’ was organised by the Abu Dhabi-based G42 Healthcare with the support of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi; the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention; and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.
After successful trial of Phases I and II, the Phase-III trial of the vaccine, developed by the Chinese firm Sinopharm, began in Abu Dhabi on July 16. The study is conducted to check acquired immunity of the inactive SARS-COVID-2 vaccine developed by Sinopharm.
G42 Healthcare CEO Ashish Koshy said UAE was chosen for the trial due to the commitment of its leadership and presence of people from around 200 nations. “Due to the overwhelming participation, we were able to conduct trials on people from more than 120 nations. There were people from all walks of life. When I visited the centre, I noticed a good presence of volunteers from Kerala too,” said Ashish Koshy, who hails from Kozhencherry in Kerala. He added that the organisers planned to cover 15,000 people in three months, but they achieved the target in three weeks.
“My entire five-member family had tested positive for COVID-19. May be the need to find a solution came from that experience,” Ashish said. The trial had been conducted on over 30,000 individuals, so far. Barring minor issues such as muscle pain or headache, no one reported any health issues, Ashish Koshy said.
Shajir Mohammed, 45, from Thalassery who works in Dubai, too said he had not faced any health issues after taking the first vaccine shot. “In fact, I became a bit more confident,” he said. Shajir underwent the trial along with his wife, Shalima.
“When I first heard about the vaccine trial from newspapers, I wanted to be part of it. However, I couldn’t attend the first trial conducted in Abu Dhabi as travel restrictions were in place due to COVID-19. Later, my wife and I joined in when it was opened in Sharjah. I don’t think we could do much at this time. This is the small bit from our side,” he said.
Mediaperson Vanitha Vinod from Thrissur, who walked in for the clinical trial along with her husband, Vinod Mammiliparambil, on August 6, had to return due to the huge rush at the centre. “It was surprising to see the huge public response to the trial. We went again the next day, took the basic health check-up, and were administered the vaccine. The whole process took around three hours. We were asked to keep notes on temperature or other symptoms in a diary for a week. The next dose of vaccine will be on the 21st day. The monitoring will continue for 49 days and follow-up will last for 12 months,” Vanitha said.
Vanitha said she had witnessed the horrors of the pandemic, including death of three people known to her. “I felt proud to be part of the initiative to check spread of the contagion. In fact, it was not just me; people from various nations lined up at these centres. Ultimately, the world has only one dream,” she said.