Bahrain approves use of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine

The country becomes the second globally to authorise use after UK

Manama’s convention centre was turned into a field hospital. AFP

Bahrain said it has granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, becoming the second country after Britain to approve it.

“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, chief executive of Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority, said on Friday.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was first approved for use in the UK this week. It is currently being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration in the US for approval as early as December 10.

The state had also approved Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine in November for use by frontline workers.

Since the pandemic started, Bahrain recorded at least 87,600 known coronavirus cases and 341 deaths due to Covid-19.