DUBAI: Bahrain said on Friday it has granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the second country after Britain to approve it.
The kingdom had also approved Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in November for use by frontline workers.
“The approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will add a further important layer to the Kingdom’s national COVID-19 response,” Dr. Mariam Al-Jalahma, CEO of Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority said in a statement.
The vaccine will be made available to groups at greater risk of contracting complications from the coronavirus, including the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and other groups identified by the heath ministry as vulnerable.
Al-Jalahma said that intensive meetings were held with the company’s team in the US and its representatives to study the results and shed light on any queries that arose.
Lindsey Dietschi, head of Pfizer in the Gulf, said the emergency use license of the vaccine in Bahrain represents another historic moment in the battle against the coronavirus.
“This license is the goal we are working to achieve since we announced for the first time that science will prevail, and we commend the national authority for the organization of professions and health services, its ability to conduct an accurate assessment and take action in time to help protect citizens and residents in the kingdom.”
(With Reuters)
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Bahrain now 2nd country to approve Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use
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Bahrain now 2nd country to approve Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use
- Bahrain is 2nd country to authorize use of Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus
- Kingdom also approved Sinopharm’s vaccine for use by frontline workers
Iran’s foreign ministry: ‘Time has come to defend the homeland’ after US-Israeli strikes
DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded to a joint US-Israel attack on Saturday by saying that the country “will not hesitate” in its response to the strikes.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”
The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.
The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.
“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”
The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.
The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.
“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”
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